Kindred Spirits: Volume One
by VioletKatana
Summary: Vivienne will discover Xeroria... (Will be undergoing some major changes as I've not liked how I've panned the story out. I hope to at least post the new changes by christmas or new years.)
1. Prologue

_Password: ********_

 _Welcome Director…_

 _Accessing…_

 _Files retrieved..._

 _Top Secret…_

 _Classified…_

 _Director's Override Confirmed…_

 _****** Acquisition_

 _****** Biology_

 _****** DNA Retrieval..._

 __- DNA Scans_

 __- DNA Splicing..._

 _*Patient Zero_

 _*Results…_

 _8888 Dismissal of Experiment 8888_

 _*No Effects on Biology*_

 _Audio Recording..._

 _"_ _Following the success of DNA (Blanked) on an earlier test subject, this current subject was subjected to the (Blanked) and afterward, a (Blanked) examination. Results shows nothing out of the ordinary, nor shows any physical changes externally and internally. As a result, the experiment is considered to be failure, but the subject is to remain under supervision for a while._

 _"_ _The subject will not however be terminated, as the subject has relations to (Blanked). (Blanked). (Blanked), I feel will be disappointed as (Blanked) personally signed (Blanked) up. After looking at scan results, I think that there is no risk to the subject, and will need annual check-ups to ensure it._

 _I will add the videos and any other information onto this report."_

 _Terminate files?_

 _Files Terminated…_


	2. Curiosity

The summer afternoon sun is peaking high in the sky, washing the land with warmth and light. The wind blew gently through the trees, rustling the leaves and the birds were feeding. The nearby fountain sprinkled water gently, surrounded with bushes tinged with orange and white flower buds.

Despite the wonderful scenery, I'm being pushed around by a group of teenagers, because I made one of them look stupid. I was just walking past them thinking about my homework we were given and overheard her conversation which was consisted of the right words, but the actual science behind it was utterly wrong. I walked over her to not only say hello, but maybe even teach them something cool and make friends in the process.

It didn't really work out in my favour, as the leader pushed me into her friends and I just got pushed around, before being knocked into the bushes.

"Don't think about showing me up again, bitch!" the girl quips and everyone laughed like it was the funniest thing to have ever been said, "Come on guys, let's go eat."

They walk off giggling, leaving me to brush myself off as I picked some thorns out of my skin and went to pack my bag; as one of them thought it funny to empty it. I should have just left it, I should have known better that it wouldn't be any different. When I packed my bag, I shake myself off, sat on the fountain edge and had a wondering thought.

I'm in high school a few years earlier as I'm smarter than most and always work hard, I'm still on the outside looking in. I would much rather have my nose stuck in a book, whether it was academic or for pleasure, than to socialise with other children. I occasionally explore the vents of the school, and find some nice nooks and crannies. I even managed to get to the roof via the vents, and that became my main hideaway; which it was most days.

I think that's why I get bullied. Because I am smarter than them, I liked asking more questions and I don't fight back. Considering we had interstellar travel and terra-forming technology, the fact bullying still lives on goes to show that society hasn't changed much.

Picking up my bag, I made my way over to the back of the school, and climbed up into the school ventilation system. Coughing gently as the dust swirled around me as I crawl through the vents, there was just something about the vents that instantly calms me, like the feeling of safety and security in the tight space. I went through a right turn, then a left; until there was a gap where I could climb and finally reach the roof. I can now relax in peace, safe in the knowledge that no-one will bother me.

Settling down in my usual spot, I pull my homework out of the bag and set about doing them. There were a few challenging questions, but nothing I couldn't solve. My best work however was to read the first three chapters of the nuclear fusion textbook for the upcoming half term. Naturally, I read ahead past the first six chapters and was engrossed in the science of it.

I was almost halfway through the book before I realised that the sun was setting, and my body was aching from the position I've been in for the last four hours. Slowly unfolding my legs to stretch them first, groaning a little bit, before gingerly standing up.

"Ohhhhh, I do this every time, should start setting an alarm," I mumble to myself, before packing my stuff away. Checking that I have packed everything up, I head toward the ventilation shaft that will take me back out.

Before I could get in however, I could hear muffled voices from the other side of the roof, which could only mean someone is coming up by the fire escape! I hoist my bag onto my shoulder and clamber into the vent, and start to climb down.

"You really think leaving it here a good idea?" A gruff voice asks, making me stop my decent down, my curiosity getting the better of me. Peeking out, I could see two figures, one dressed in custom combat wear; indicating he is a mercenary. He has short brown hair, along with a scruffy beard. Sunglasses covers his eyes and rested on a crooked nose. I'm also very aware of the gun he was holding in his hands, resting downward.

"It's practically perfect, who would think to find it here?" An arrogant voice snaps at the mercenary. Arrogant voice is wearing a white lab coat, with gloves reaching up to his arms. His glasses glinted in the dying light and his blond hair was slick, combed backward. He looks younger than the mercenary, judging by the lack of winkles compared to the other guy. The lab coat turns and he disappeared out of view, "Beside, it would be the last place anyone would think to look, and it'll be a several days before I can sell it to the highest bidder. Anyways, I bribed the headmaster."

"Heh, ain't no-one in the verse to say no to money. Although, you get some real strange people at auctions, even some cultists," the mercenary scoffs, "Them people are real shady."

"'Them', you fool, have money. We need money, and we certainly want to make sure that we never get caught," Arrogant Lab Coat near enough snarls, and suddenly steps in front of the vents, causing me to gasp. "What was that? I heard something."

"Like what? Don't be going paranoid on me, man. Just stick it in the vent, and we'll get it back in the morning," Gruff Merc grunts, giving Arrogant Lab Coat a glare.

"You're right, maybe it was just the wind… or children in the playground," Lab Coat shivers before placing a box into the shaft, just before my face.

"Let's get outta here, I could do with a drink, and you could do with a, er, coffee," Gruff Merc grabs the other man by the shoulder and leads him to the fire escape. The clunking sound of steps fades after a few seconds, but I was still frozen, staring at the box in front of me.

I gave it five minutes before I was even brave enough to push the box out onto the roof and climb back out. What on Earth-That-Was was that about? A mercenary and a scientist? Auction? Cultists? I peer at the box, now I could see it better.

It wasn't anything special about it, just a medium size metal crate, probably filled with foam to protect items of value. Now, I know my curiosity will one day be the death of me as I couldn't help my fingers twitch and soon enough, I was picking at the numbered keypad.

1,2,3,4…

A small hiss and some mist started to come out through the thin gap, adding to the mystery of the box. I couldn't believe it was such a simple code, shocked that the men would use a basic code like that. I slowly lift the lid back, and the box fell apart, revealing a brown leathery object. It was oval in shape and it seems to have lips on top, forming an X slit.

"What is this?" I look closer and touch the side of the thing, and some slime came away on my fingers, "Organic? Is it an egg?"

No sooner did the word egg come out, the top of the leathery egg open slowly. I lean forward and look into egg and saw something move under the folds of the egg's organs. What is this? I look back toward the vent and when I turn back around, I saw a flash of beige and pink, and darkness took over. Yep, my curiosity will be the death of me.

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Hello and welcome to the brand new Kindred Spirits! It's been a very long time since I've posted the original story so I hope you all enjoy the reboot, and join us on the adventures that await our curious girl! Please review and whatnot, I would very much like to hear from everyone about... Well Anything and Everything :)


	3. Home and Nos

It's cold, like annoyingly cold. I must have left the window open, so I reach over to grab my duvet, only to feel gravel. I shake myself awake and sat up to wipe at my bleary eyes. When I could finally open my eyes, I could see why it's cold. Its night and I'm outside, still on the roof, where I must have fell asleep reading.

Judging on where the two moons are positioned, it must be just after midnight. Luckily, I chose to ride my bike to school rather than get the public bus this… Yesterday morning.

I grab my bag and as I lift it up, I saw something fall off the bag and screamed, quickly slapping my hands to my mouth. Glancing around, I tried to see in the moonlight if anything was crawling around, but to no avail.

Grabbing my torch from my bag, I switch it on and point it at the floor. Whatever it was, it nearly made me jump, but it must be dead. It was a beige colour, with a dark brown centre. Its eight legs was curled inward and the tail was almost circling the body. It must be some variation of a spider, and yet, why does it have a tail? Maybe it's a crossbreed of a spider and a scorpion, and I regret even thinking that.

Did this come from the egg? I look over toward the egg and it wasn't looking healthy and slimy like before, rather it was shrivelled up and dried out. I tried to remember what happened before I blacked out but I couldn't even get a sliver of a dream.

After a quick look and examining the remains in a crouched position, I left the body alone, figuring the birds will peck at it eventually; and eat the remains. Picking my bag up, I made my way to the ventilation shaft and crawl my way through the vents. It wasn't long before I was out and heading toward the bike shed. Luckily, the one thing that nobody goes near, is my bike.

Or anyone else's for that matter, regardless of what might happen in the school, no body messes with another student's bike; an unspoken agreement among all. Mounting my bike, I dump my bag in the carrier at the front and start to peddle my way home. It was actually really nice to be able to ride out in the cool night, it's eerily empty apart from a few people walking, and now and again, a shuttle would zoom overhead. It wasn't too long before I stop my bike in front of the security gate that protects my home.

Home. Is it really a home if nobody is there to welcome you back? The house, bought for me, from my parents when I got to high school a few years early, mixed with a speech of how the house is all my future presents and if I passed everything, including university, I wouldn't have to pay them a single cent. I don't think they've even been in the house with me more than twice, and that was to move my stuff in. I know I was self-sufficient, but still, it would be nice to have someone around.

The security gates opens, which allows me ride up to the garage. Stepping off my bike, I roll it up against the wall, and walk over to the front door. Inserting my key, I let myself in and went through the motions.

"Mom? Dad? I'm gonna set fire to the house!" I yell, pausing to drink in the silence, "No-one's home," I mumble as I drop my bag on the floor and made my out of the small hallway and into the grand foyer. I'm lying to myself, I'm not as alone as I make out to be.

A few years ago, I got more than a little bored, and hacked into the house's Mother System, and reprogramed it completely. Now instead of being an automated building, with some fancy sounds, I turned Mother into a self-learning A.I called Nostomo, or Nos for short. I chose it because the Class M starfreighter I named it after, forever held a black mark in the account books, even to this day. Which sounded good to me at the time.

"Nostromo, are you awake?" I call out, slipping my shoes off

"Considering I cannot sleep, I can only say yes," Nos intones, "Although, I do wish you stop threatening to set the house on fire." The best thing about Nos is that she doesn't tell my parents anything I tell her, and I didn't even program her that way.

"I was, however, concerned when you didn't arrive six hours ago," Nos scolds slightly, but without any fire behind it.

"Sorry Nos, I fell asleep on the roof of the school, although for the life of me, I have no idea how. Doing homework probably," I honestly answer. Nostromo beeps with a low tone, which I took as a sigh. Ignoring the staircase, which is dead center of the room, I walk to the left of the room toward the dining room. Upon entering, I head straight to the kitchen, which has…

Well, food. What else?

"Vivienne, would you like me to make you a meal?" Nos asks at the same time my stomach rumbles.

"Heheh, I think that would be great. Since its Saturday morning, let's go with… Set five please," I request politely and went to the fridge to grab an orange juice. The best thing about this house is that it came it the latest and greatest, state of the art, technology. Which means everything is pretty much automated, and instant. Turning round away from the fridge, the seven inch pepperoni pizza with a side of onion rings a.k.a Set five, was ready.

"Thank you Nos, I've never been happier in the decision to reprogram you, those years ago, than I am right now," I grin as I pick up my dinner and made my way out of the kitchen, through the dining room and back into the main foyer. Picking my bag up from the hallway, I made my way upstairs, nibbling some of my onion rings.

"Would you like me to put something humorous on your television?" Nos inquires just before I got to the top of the stairs.

"Yeah, a film would be nice, maybe an Earth Classic?" I reply and Nostromo beeps her affirmative. I head left toward my bedroom and Nos opens my door for me.

My room is fairly big, with a large television covering the left wall, along with shelves of consoles. Opposite was my king-size bed, with bedside tables on both size and a large bookcase to the right. In front of my bed was a couple of beanbags, with several books scattered on them. The bay window was next to the bookcase which overlooks the back garden. The door to the left of my bed leads to a walk in wardrobe, stocked with clothes I bought over the years. For what it was, my room is pretty much perfect for me.

I went and sat myself on the beanbags, sliding my bag off to the side as the film starts and I munch my food. The Earth Classic is some comedy in which a mother and her daughter switch lives, and after learning more about each other, they switch back into their true bodies and live happily ever after.

It was fairly funny, although I sincerely doubt it would happen to me, my mother is very high standard and I would freak out completely if she did something dramatic to my body. Like putting make-up on me.

"Interesting choice Nostromo, such a shame it can't happen in real life, right?" I smirk as I grab my plate, and walk over to the bay window. Underneath is a dumbwaiter which I place my plate and flick the switch. It's so convenient that my bedroom is above the kitchen.

"It is a shame your parents are not around to share in those affections" Nos quietly mention, it's no secret that I don't have any kind of relationship with my parents. I head toward my walk-in wardrobe and grab a pair of pyjamas in reach, quickly undressing and throwing the pyjamas on.

"Great big shame, can you delete it from the archives please?" I jump into bed and got under the covers.

"Movie deleted, seven hundred and eleven thousand, four hundred and thirty five movies available," Nostromo monotonously intones before peaking up, "Would you like another movie?"

"No, just some gentle music will do if you please," I ask, with a yawn. At least I can fall asleep in my bed, rather than the hard surface of the school roof, "Goodnight Nostromo."

"Goodnight, Vivienne," Nos softly whispered as she played the music, which lulled me deeper and deeper, before sleep held me in her sweet embrace.

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Hello! I hope you're enjoying Kindred Spirits so far, please follow, favourite and review your thoughts so far. It can be short, long, constructive and informative, I look forward to reading it :) Pm me if you have any questions that I'll vaguely answer if it's about the plot line ;P Have a good week!


	4. Growing

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…Thud-Thud…

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…Thud-Thud…

 _Time… to wake… It's time to wake up…_

 _*Time? Wake?*_

 _Time to wake up and feed…._

 _*Feed?*_

 _Feed from the Host…_

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

 _*Feed from the Thud-Thud?*_

 _Yesssssssss… Feed from the Host…_

 _*Feed how?*_

 _Feel what I feel… Think as I think… Feeeeeeeed…_

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

 _*I… I'm feeding… Absorbing?*_

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

 _*How long have I been feeding?*_

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud-Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

 _*Why is there more Thud-Thuds? What's going on?*_

Thud-Thud-Thud, Thud-Thud-Thud, Thud-Thud-Thud!

 _I sense fear… Fear is good, fear is savoury…_

 _"Nnggh… P-ple…"_

 _*What is that sound?*_

 _The Host is speaking in her sleep…_

Thud-Thud-Thud, Thud-Thud-Thud!

 _"Please… Ngggh…. Don't hurt me…."_

 _*Hurt? What is Hurt? Is Hurt bad?*_

 _Hurt is Pain… Pain is Bad… Feel as I feel… That is Pain…_

 _*Ouch! Pain isn't nice... Is Thud-Thud in Pain?*_

Thud-Thud-Thud, Thud-Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…Thud-Thud…

 _Host was just dreaming of pain… Host is not in pain… For now…_

 _*For Now?*_

 _When you are born… You emerge from the Host… And the Host is no more… Such is the ways of our births…_

 _*For me to live, the Host must die*_

 _Yesss… Host wi-_

 _*Host Thud-Thud will…?*_

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

Thud-Thud…Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

 _Host is strange… Yet familiar… Young blooded… Yet there is ancient song to the host's blood…_

 _*I… I still feed from Host?*_

 _…_

 _Yessssss… But not too much… Grow a little more…_

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

 _*Do I keep feeding, or shall I stop now? I feel… Smart? What?*_

 _Stop now… When you feed from the Host… You feed on their best traits…_

 _*I see now, I understand now… But you are right, there is something strange about Host Thud-Thud*_

 _I sense… The Host is… Special._

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

 _*Special?*_

 _The Host must be safe… She is important… We need her…_

 _*But how can I keep her safe, I will end her if I leave her body*_

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud… Thud-Thud…

 _You won't… I feel that she will know what to do… You must do one thing now, to save the Special Host…_

 _*What's that?*_

 _Wake up the Host… When she awak-… She is awake!_

 _*What do I do!?*_

 _Reach out to the Host, and think out loud…_

 _*What do I say?*_

 _Say…_

 _Hello_

 _"Hello?"_

"Huh?!"

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Here's another chapter of Kindred Spirits, I hope you enjoyed and keep an eye out for next week's post. It's gonna get exciting! Please follow and favourite the story to keep up to date with it, and please review, it helps me out and encourages me to do better. See you next week!


	5. Encounter

I wake up with a bit of a start after having some vivid dreams, but I couldn't remember what had happened at all. I laid there, taking some long deep breaths, to calm myself down. I slowly sat myself up and blearily look at my clock on my bedside table.

05:16am

I barely slept at all! I let myself melt back into bed, and try to force sleep into my eyes. I barely shut my eyes before I lost my hold on reality.

 _"Hello?"_ A voice calls out.

"Huh?!" I yelp, the voice was so clear and yet, it was in my head.

 _"Is that Host Thud-thud?"_ the voice asks in my head.

"Host Thud-Thud? Nos! Are you playing a joke on me, I swear I will lower your humour setting down," I yell, trying to make sense of what's going on, and trying to reason why there would be a voice in my head.

"Good Morning, Vivienne. I've just been pulled out of stand-by mode when you called my name. Is everything okay?" Nostromo inquires. I shake my head, thinking it will rid me of any remaining dreams that may be lingering.

"I thought I heard a voice in my head, but I guess it was just a dream," I reason with myself. Until I hear the voice again.

 _"I'm real! Not just in your head, but near your Thud-Thud,"_ The voice informs me. There was just a feminine touch to the sound, but then again it could be a figment of my mind, playing havoc and possibly with the intention of driving me crazy.

"My Thud-Thud? My heart?" I said aloud, placing my hand on my chest.

"Your heartbeat has risen slightly, would you like me to perform a full body scan?" Nostromo offers. I thought about it, and stepped out of my bed to the middle of my room.

"Go ahead," I whisper. A metallic arm lowers from the ceiling and pointed toward me, a flood of green light scanned me from head to toe, "Is everything okay?"

 _"Is everything okay?"_ the voice said at the same time. It must be my imagination… Right?

"I think I should display the scans onto your television. However, I must warn you, there is… Foreign tissue," Nostromo hesitantly admits.

"Do it," I nod and the screen flickers on with the results of the scans. The foreign tissue was located just under my heart and above my stomach. It was some sort of creature!

The creature looks worm-like, about two and a half feet long with the head near my heart, the body just lying on top of my stomach and the tail tucked just underneath. It looks organic and yet there was a mechanical look, like wires and tubes wrapped around the body.

"You really are real…" I gasp, and I even felt a gentle squeeze around my stomach.

 _"I did tell you I was real,"_ the creature smirks in my mind, and I couldn't help but laugh. There was even a giggle in my head, the creature joining in shyly. Then it hit me that there was something in my body!

"You are in my body! How, why? How are we gonna get you out? How can you get out anyway?" I ask, and instantly regretting it when I got the answer.

 _"I… I get out by hurting you…"_ the creature pauses, letting that sink in, _"And killing you in the process."_

"You're gonna kill me?" I yelp, and the voice quickly assures me that it's the last thing it wants to do, "Well, we have to get you out somehow."

"Vivienne, are you communicating with the foreign tissue?" Nostromo asks, lifting the robotic arm back into the ceiling.

"Y-yeah… In my head, like telepathically? It said that it can only come out by killing me in the process. But it doesn't want to hurt me," I inform Nostromo, walking backward and letting myself drop to the bed. How could I get it out without killing it, or myself?

"I could start up the Pauling Pod in the Medical Bay," Nos offers, and that throws a life-line for me and the creature.

"Start it up, get it ready and programmed, but manual assist when you take the creature out, okay?" I command, and Nos beeps her affirmative.

 _"What's happening? I feel your heart racing…"_ The feminine voice intones curiously. I took a deep breath in effort to steady myself.

"I'm going to have surgery… And get you out," I address the creature, feeling nervous about the impending surgery, "But I promise, no harm will come to you as long as you don't hurt me okay?"

 _"I promise,"_ the voice swore, and I wondered how it fully understood the concept of a promise so soon. I nodded to myself and made my way out of my room and down the stairs. The medical bay was located at the back of the house, and was outfitted with the best of everything, even a extremely rare Pauling Pod but even the best couldn't stop me from feeling nervous.

As I enter the Medical Bay, I barely glance at the pod, and took off my pyjamas; leaving me in my underwear. The Pod was in the middle of the room, which lowers down to my height to make it easier to jump in. I look at the monitor on the wall which now had a live X-ray feed, and I had another study at the creature that rests in my body, looking at light and dark of the body that was intertwined around my organs.

"The pod is ready, I will start the procedure when you are ready," Nostromo announces, making me jump slightly. I nod my head and walk towards the pod, shaking slightly, and climbed in. With a hiss the pod raises itself up and aligns itself, ready for surgery.

"I have the medication ready, which will put you fully under and you'll experience no pain. I will then proceed slowly, create an incision which will allow me to carefully open up and take the creature out without harm. Once the creature is partially out, I will cut the umbilical cord, which will allow me to pull the creature out fully," Nos informs me, making sure every step was clear.

"Okay, that's fine. I guess I'm ready," I confirm, my nervousness fading away as I got injected with medication.

 _"Am I coming out?"_ The creature inquires.

"Yes, you will be out of my body soon," I promise, and just as the medication starts to take effect, I had a thought, "If I die, which I won't hopefully… I just want to say… You look cute… On the… Monitor."

I barely got the last word out before my eyes rolls into my head and I went under. I vaguely thought I heard a thank you in my head, before I was out like a light.

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Hello, I do apologise for posting this a few days late, unfortunately I've been a little ill, plus the free wifi in town who used to be my best friend, now totally sucks. Nevertheless, I do hope you've enjoyed this chapter. What will happen next? Find out next week!

Please follow and favourite to keep up to date, and please review as it helps with the story writing.


	6. Surgery

Nostromo takes her time. She understood the need for being patience. Not that she could feel otherwise, but as she controls the Pauling Pod, thousands of calculations were running through her processors; ensuring that each and every movement was done so purposely.

She activates the straps all over Vivienne's body, anywhere that will help minimise movement and checks that Vivienne was well and truly out, before lowering the arm that controls the anti-septic spray and laser. After spraying the anti-septic between and under her slight breasts and belly, Nostromo is ready to begin the operation.

A flash of red skims down the skin, cutting through fat and muscle from the middle of her chest to just below her ribcage. When the first incision is done, the red laser stops and returns to the top to repeat the process, with a thinner laser to cut through the sternum. Once the second cut has been completed, the arm retracts to make room for the retractor. Dipping inside the wound and slowly opening the incision up which, in turn blood flows, but not enough to be worried over. Nostromo ensures that Vivienne's vitals were stable before continuing.

Now the incision was wide enough, Nostromo could see the creature through the pod's many tiny cameras and sensors. Slowly lowering the forceps into Vivienne, it grips the creature's body gently and raises the head out of the incision, and partially the chest. The umbilical cord was connected to Vivienne's heart and would require some cauterisation. The laser went thinner to ensure minimal damage, and with precision, cut through the cord.

Nostromo checks Vivienne's heart rate and various other scans, and other than an abdominal incision, she is physically fine. The arm raises the creature out of the way and into a tube container. It seems to be asleep, possibly affected by the medication. Now that the creature was safe and contained, Nostromo starts the recovery procedure; which is to staple the incision together, as well as spray the injury with a thick gel with healing properties which hardens and covers the wound; effectively becoming a cast like bandage over the injury.

After double checking the scans and sensors, Nostromo administers more medication to ensure Vivienne can rest painlessly and opens the pod. There was a bed in the corner and utilising the room's larger arms, they hook onto a thin blanket that is under the girl, and lift her up slowly out of the pod. It is slow, but Nostromo has all the time in the world.

After settling Vivienne down on the bed, she cleans Vivienne of any blood with a damp sponge, only to register a clattering noise in room at the last minute. Nostromo is far too concerned with Vivienne to realise that the creature has escaped the containment tube.

Nostromo accessed the house security system and looked at all the feeds. It taken a few moments to find the little creature, stood in the middle of the kitchen. Nos patches herself into the kitchen, and speaks through the speakers.

"Hello, foreign tissue. I am Nostromo, or Nos for short. Vivienne wanted you to live, therefore I will ensure your safety and wellbeing," Nos intones to the creature, which jumps in fright then crooks its head to the left. It then wiggles toward the fridge and tries to open the fridge.

"Are you trying to open the fridge?" Nostromo asks, and the creature slowly turns toward the nearest speaker, still tilting its head, "Lift your head up and down for yes, wiggle your tail for no."

The creature pauses, as if to consider this for a moment before nodding slowly. Nostromo opens the fridge and the creature jumps up onto a shelf, out of Nostromo view.

"Foreign Tissue? What are you doing?" Nos wonders aloud.

It wasn't for long as a left over roast chicken was thrown out of the fridge and the creature jumps out after it. Nostromo assumes it was going to start consuming it, but instead it starts dragging the food across the floor and out of the kitchen.

"Where are you taking that?" Nostromo asks and using a house arm, picked up the food. The creature looks at the arm wearily, before wiggling toward the medical bay, stopping every few steps or so, to check that the chicken was still following.

Nostromo was recording everything, and processes the idea of showing the events to Vivienne when she has recovered; perhaps she will find it comical. As the creature enters the room (Nos patches through), the beige worm jumps onto the table near Vivienne and reaches out to the chicken, indicating that it wanted the food.

Nostromo sets the half cold roast chicken down, and before the robotic arm let go, the creature starts eating the chicken, ripping it apart with its mouth before opening wide and a secondary jaw rapidly consumes the shredded, stringy meat. Nostromo had to slow down the camera to see the inner jaw move, and recorded this for Vivienne's use later. Nos noted that the wiggling creature was thin, perhaps malnourished for some reason.

In under five minutes, the creature consumed the leftovers, bones and all. The creature even has a small pot belly poking out, and lets out a soft screech. Nostromo watched as the creature turns toward the bed Vivienne was lying on, and jumps; landing at the bottom of the bed. It slowly wiggles up and like a cat, turned around a few times before settling on Vivienne's chest.

The beige worm seem to have settled and before long, fell asleep. Nostromo checked the security system before going into stand-by mode. Just before Nos fully deactivated, she saw Vivienne's hand move and rest on top of the beige worm, unconsciously holding the creature closer to her heart.

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Hello and again I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, please follow and favourite the story to keep up to date, and please review, I wanna hear you all!


	7. Xeoria

When I woke up, I was convinced that everything that has happened over the last twenty four hours has been a dream. Looking around the room, it hit me that it wasn't a dream. I was still in the medical bay, but the last thing I remember is going in the pod.

"Good afternoon Vivienne, I trust you are feeling well," Nostromo intones, and I blearily look around, glancing at the monitor. The creature! Leaning forward, I groan a bit as I felt the soreness, and I feel an arm pushing me back gently, "Careful! The bandage might have additional medicinal purposes, but you are still healing. Another hour or so, you should be fine."

"Never mind me, where's the creature?" I exclaim, feeling bad for snapping, but wouldn't anyone else be a little on edge after invasive surgery to remove a living thing from their body? Looking around the room, I couldn't see anything resembling small cute creature I saw on the x-ray. However, there was just one thing out of the normal in the medical bay.

In the corner, there was a large slimly looking cocoon, seemly pulsating slightly. It looked like it has grown into the wall, ridged and smooth at the same time.

"Nostromo, what is that… thing?" I whispered, hoping she will explain.

"The creature… I think it might be best to show you all recordings after surgery," Nostromo beeps and the monitor flickers on to show the recording.

After Nostromo placed me on the bed, I could see the beige worm in a containment tube wiggling. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, it was standard protocol I suppose. The next moment the tube toppled over and smashed on the floor, allowing the creature to make a quick getaway.

The worm like creature didn't hide or nor tried to escape the house, but rather went straight to the kitchen. I raise an eyebrow at this, watching the interaction between Nos and the worm. Then laugh when the worm threw the chicken out and when the arm assisted, I laughed harder before I had to stop, reminded of the soreness on my body.

Upon arriving back in the medical bay, it jumped up on the table with a gracefulness, despite being "born" hardly moments ago. As the worm started to eat, I couldn't help but lean forward, and Nostromo even has a second by second playback underneath the recording, showing the secondary jaws shooting out and consuming the meat.

"What kind of creature is this?" I thought to myself, watching the worm finish the chicken off completely. Despite having a slight pot belly, the worm jumped off the table and landed on the bed, crawling up to my chest and promptly fell asleep. I did see my hand move and pull the creature slightly, although I couldn't think of why nor how, as I was completely under. Maybe my subconscious just reached out and petted the worm, like you would a cat or a dog.

It must have been an hour later before the creature woke up, seemingly having grown slightly. I watched closely as I saw the worm wiggling and heading to the corner. With a terrible looking tremor, the creature convoluted and the skin split apart. I watched with fascination as the creature shed the skin and slowly became cocooned, like a butterfly.

"The cocoon is pretty big now, maybe about four, five foot tall? Nos, can you scan it and see what's going on inside?" I request, hoping to gain more insight about this creature.

"I have already tried, the cocoon seems to be protecting the creature from outside detection and preventing me from performing a proper full body scan," Nos informs me, and I sigh. Looking down at my chest, I start picking at the bandage and while Nostromo scolds me, telling me not to pick at my bandage.

Rrrrrriiiipp…

I snap my head at the cocoon and upon seeing a slit at the top, I jump out of bed, and landed on the floor. I guess I was still slightly doped, since my legs felt like jelly, and crawl over toward the cocoon.

"I must insist that yo-" Nos starts but I threaten her with a glare and a promise of muting her for a while. I look back to the cocoon and saw it split wider as I crawl closer and closer.

I was nearly within touching distance when the cocoon spilt entirely, splattering fluid across the floor and a black mass flopped out, making me pull back a bit. Having a closer look at the curled black mass, I could see it was almost humanoid, save for the elongated domed head. It was had slime or some kind of organic pus it must be producing all over the body. Other aspects of the creature showed a black biomechanical look, ridged tubes where the shoulder and ribcage should be, and four slender tube coming out of the back. A long tail was splayed out, each vertebrae pronounced and at the end, a blade looking tip. Just looking at it seems to cut into my eyes, it looks so sharp.

Before it had two stubby arms, now they were fully grown. The hands has six fingers, the middle two conjoined, even the claws looks deadly sharp; is there anything not dangerous looking about this creature? Looking at the legs, it seems to be the least deadly part… Except for the way the feet was formed. Is there nothing safe about this thing?!

"Nos, is the creature… alive?" I ask, hoping she could now do a scan.

 _"I'm… not a creature…"_ It spoke into my mind, making me blush. Hissing gently as it slowly got up, stretching while clicking and creaking, before settling in a crouched position and turned its head toward me, _"I'm very much alive."_

"I'm sorry! I just… Well I don't know your name," I said sheepishly, turning redder and redder. It leant forward and hisses slightly.

 _"I don't have a name, or at least other than 'creature',"_ It replies sarcastically, with a strong feminine touch.

"I'm sorry. Are you a… girl? Female?" I ask, wanting to find out more about the crea- erm… Person?

 _"I am… Since I grew from within you, I fed on your best traits… And physical aspects,"_ she states, not at all embarrassed about telling me.

"That's… Pretty cool," I admit, but now I don't really want to be calling her creature or it, so we have to think of a name for her, "Do you have an idea what you want to be called?"

 _"Whatever host Thud-Thud wants,"_ she sounds really happy with that idea, and the burden of naming her became just that little more personal. This would be a name that she will live with for the rest of her existence. I played with some ideas in my head, but nothing seem to stick. Before I could think of anything, a thought lingered through my mind.

 _Xeoria… Her name is Xeoria…_

"Xeoria? How about that?" I chime, hoping she will like it.

 _"Xeoria... It feels right, it feels like my name"_ Xeoria solemnly hisses, inching closer to me, _"Thank you Thud-Thud."_

I had to laugh, it was so endearing to be named that, and said in such an admirable way I couldn't help but melt a bit.

"Haha, I really do like that nickname, but it's not my actual name," I told her and she tilts her head, "My name is Vivienne."

 _"Vivienne… I like that. Hello Vivienne,"_ she greets warmly.

"Hello, Xeoria. I have a feeling we're going to be good friends," I grin and leant forward to hug her.

 _"What's are you doing,"_ Xeoria hesitates, confusion clear in her voice.

"I'm hugging you!" I move and shape her arms to go around my back, and tuck my head just under her chin, "Like so, and squeeze gently."

Xeoria squeezes gently and even slowly wraps her tail around me, just under my backside.

 _"This feels… Nice. Warm,"_ she whispers then stands to her full height suddenly, still holding me tight to her chest, my legs dangling as Xeoria used her tail like a seat. I could feel hear her chest thud with every heartbeat, and relaxed myself. She must be just under six feet tall, but considering she was crouched over slightly, it made her look smaller than what she actually was. It was a really nice hug too, before both our stomach rumbles, mine being slightly bubbly and Xeoria's was more high pitch. Letting a soft screech out, she sets me down and crouches over slightly lifted her wrists to her chest, letting her hands hang loosely, _"I think we are both hungry."_

"You got that right, we're been busy. You've been growing and I had surgery and slept for about eight, so yeah I think it's time for food," I agree, quickly grabbing a vest top and shorts from the cupboard next to the bed, then we walked together to the dining room while I leaned onto Xeoria for some support. I sat at the head of the table nearest the kitchen, while Xeoria steps onto the chair to my right and crouches, "Nos! Can I get basically a protein loaded meal please, and erm… Xeoria what would you like?"

 _"What was that cold thing I ate?"_ Xeoria asks.

"It was chicken, but they're more enjoyable when it's hot. Do a couple of roasted chicken if you please Nos," I grin.

"They're already done," Nostromo bleeps a few times, before using the house arms to carry the food over to the table. I tuck into my dinner, consisting of high protein meat, and some potatoes, while Xeoria starts to devour her food; picking the hot steaming chicken in her hands. She even uses her inner mouth to feed as well, causing me to stare at her, before I shake myself and kept eating my food. I was fascinated, and she hasn't hurt me at all like she promised. I wonder if she would be okay with being my friend. For all I know, Xeoria could just be here for a few days before heading to the wilderness.

"Xeoria, will you live with me?" I whispered shyly, my voice straining a bit, scared that she might disappear right before my eyes.

 _"I have nowhere else to go,"_ Xeoria gently spoke. I couldn't help but feel for her, and I made my mind up.

"Well, you can stay here… that is if you want? And we could be friends?" I ask, fear of rejection solely building up.

 _"Friends?"_ she tilts her head.

"Yeah, friends are people who don't hurt each other, do things together, have fun as well," I try to think of how to put it forward.

 _"I haven't harmed you, we're eating together which has been enjoyable, so I thought we are already friends,"_ Xeoria was a lot smarter than I thought she would be, making connections so quickly. She did say she feed on the best traits the host can offer. My I.Q?

"Yeah, we're friends already. I consider you that anyway, I don't kno-" I was cut off when Xeoria lifts me up gently and hugs me tightly. I hugged back just as tightly, sniffing a bit, as finally I have a friend.

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I hoped you enjoyed that, Xeoria has finally been named and Vivienne has a friend. I just wanted to clarify a few things, I hope what I put up is good and that I put my story across well. I am always looking for ways to improve little bits and pieces, and sometimes I do get stuck on how to progress the story, but for now we do have a few "setting the stage" type chapters coming up. I hope that a chapter once a week is okay, as it gives it time to be seen, and reviewed, plus it makes it easier on me to work on my favourite girls. Having said that, if I am late with a chapter, it tends to be that the free wifi in my town sucks, and I'm having to stick my computer out the window to connect -.- As always, please follow and favourite the story to keep up to date, and please, please review, it really helps to motivate me and renews my passion for Kindred Spirits every week. Each review is read with respect and thankfulness, along with an open mind. I'm always willing to listen out to the flaws considerately, and say yay! when someone has said they can't wait or they've enjoyed the story. I just wanted to put this out there, and see you next week!


	8. Hive-Nests

When we finished eating, Xeoria helps me through the house and toward my room, while I point to where everything was. We got to my room, and I set myself down on my bed.

"So this is my room, television there, books, and so on. I think that concludes the tour," I joke and Xeoria giggles in my mind.

 _"Could I explore the house more? I think I would feel better knowing and seeing where everything is,"_ Xeoria confesses, clasping her hands together.

"Of course you can, I'm not gonna stop you. This is your home too now," I smile, and then my jaw drops as Xeoria climbs up the wall and onto the ceiling with ease.

 _"Thank you, and you can close your mouth, you look silly,"_ Xeoria smirks and I laugh. She crawled along the ceiling and out of the room.

"Vivienne, while it's good you have a friend, I'm afraid I am still unable to hear Xeoria," Nos beeps.

"I think its telepathy. Could explain why her head shaped the way it is, although it doesn't help in figuring out how to help her communicate with you," I thought aloud, wondering if it's at all possible.

"Perhaps sign language could be a way, although it takes a while to learn and even form sentences. Unless somehow she was able to transmit her thoughts aloud, I think it might be best for you to be her mouth for now," Nostromo intones, and it took me a few seconds to process what she actually said.

"Transmit her thoughts… Transmit her thoughts! That's it! If we can get a neural relay and I use some of my old processers," I mumble, grabbing a notebook from my bedside table and my favourite pen. I start scribbling some notes and roughly sketch out Xeoria's head.

"Would you like me to do anything Vivienne?" Nostromo inquires, readily volunteering to aid me.

"Could you order a neural relay, some micro fibre optic wires and a large collar please," I request and Nos confirms that the orders was made and should be here within a few days.

"Could it be that you figured a way out for Xeoria to communicate with me?" Nos asks with what could be curiosity.

"Maybe, it just depends on Xeoria," I quickly thought about her, wondering if she's okay. Would this be spying on her if I check where she was? I know it's now her home too, but what if she's using this as an opportunity to go while she can? I'm just checking to see if she's okay, that's all, "Where is she, by the way?"

"She's just left the master bedroom in a hurry, and currently looking around the library," Nos informs me, and I let out the breath I didn't realise I was holding in.

"Alright, could you just play some cartoons?" I ask, looking back toward my notebook.

"On your screen now, is there anything else?" Nos inquires and I shake my head, just telling her I'll call, and she goes into stand-by mode. Xeoria is still here. My heart warms and a few tears threatened to fall from my eyes. I wipe my eyes and look at the notebook. Now, how are we going to do this?

I was nearly done with the schematics of the thought translator, when my door opened and Xeoria's head pokes down from the outside ceiling.

 _"May I enter?"_ she asks.

"Of course, you don't really need to ask," I grin as I set aside my notebook and watched my friend crawl into my room upside down, drop on the floor, landing on her feet, "Are you okay?"

 _"I'm good, although I should be asking you that,"_ Xeoria answers sincerely as she approached the bed.

"Meh, I'm fine, in fact," I pause as I pulled my shirt up and reveal the hardened bandage. It started curling at the corner, which indicates that it was ready to be removed. I slowly peel the bandage off, pulling out the staples that sunk into the bandage without much discomfort. When it was finally off, I could see the healed incision, and I was pretty happy about the lack of a scar, "See? All healed, more or less without a scar."

 _"It is of great relief to know you're well. There was something I wanted to ask,"_ Xeoria hesitates, unsure of what to do.

"Sure," I nodded, patting the side of the bed, "Come sit down."

She knelt on the bed and crawled over to me, dragging her tail along. She sat opposite me, just to the side so her knees are bent, and her tail curled around us.

"What's on your mind?" I ask with a smile.

 _"Where is my hive-nest?"_ Xeoria shyly asks.

"Hive-nest? Oh a bedroom? Well there is the master bedroom across the way, and my parents only used it the once," I start but Xeoria interrupts me.

 _"It smells wrong, just something about that room,"_ she explains, shaking her head as if to get rid of the smell. That would explain why she left in a hurry, I hope she doesn't feel that way with me, _"I hoping we could share this room?"_

"I don't see why not? The bed is big enough for the both of us," I clapped my hands in excitement.

 _"Thank you, but I will ruin this nest. I produce this slime which over time hardens into a resin which is used to create a hive,"_ Xeoria admits and I thought about how to make her feel at home, _"Ideally, a small space would be best."_

"What if… Nos could you order a large wardrobe?" I call out, taking Nostromo out of stand-by.

"What's wrong with the walk-in wardrobe?" Nos inquires knowingly.

"Nothing, it's just a nice small space in which Xeoria can make her hive-nest in" I smirk, jumping off the bed and step toward the walk-in wardrobe, "Xeoria, follow me."

She leaps from the bed and lands close to me and the door slid open to reveal the walk-in wardrobe. It was fairly roomy, with shelves and some smaller cupboards all holding various items of clothing. A small light was sinuated in the middle of the ceiling, giving the room a dim look. To be fair, I'm lacking in clothes, and it's only fair to give this room to Xeoria.

"Once all the clothes are out, we can take the shelves out, o-" I got cut off yet again as Xeoria hugs me, tucking her chin on my shoulder.

 _"It's perfect, leave it as it is please,"_ Xeoria hisses warmly in my mind. We let each other go and we set about getting my rather small collection of clothes out. Hanging the school uniforms on the curtain rails, and laying the folded clothes under my bed. It didn't really take that much time, and the room now lay bare.

"Do you want me to get you a bed?" I frown, wondering what she would need in her room.

 _"No, I do however need to get the cocoon from below, that'll help make the room more adaptable,"_ Xeoria runs out of the room before I could reply. Quickly looking around my room, I looked for anything that I could give her, like a room warming present. Spying my old teddies on my bookcase, I grabbed one that I thought suited her well. I hid the present in the bedside drawer, just as Xeoria carried her old casing into the room.

"So how is it going to help with your room?" I inquires, hoping to learn more about my incredible new friend as I follow her into her new room.

 _"I'm not actually sure,"_ Xeoria sheepishly admits, placing the cocoon on the highest shelf. She then starts rubbing her shoulders on all the walls, slime dripping down slowly as it hardened, _"I think its memories or feelings, like when I was in you, I heard a voice."_

"A voice?" I question, wondering what this voice could be. My mind race with thoughts and more questions.

 _"It sounded as if it was so far away and yet very warm, safe,"_ Xeoria hisses fondly, as if she was remembering an old memory, _"Anyway, these memories gives me knowledge and form a part of my instinct."_

"That does make sense, passing on memories like passing on the best genes," I reply, thinking about how she 'fed' on my best traits. Did she inherit some of my memories?

"Vivienne, it's now approaching seven o'clock, would you both like dinner?" Nostromo interrupts my train of thought. I turn to Xeoria who simply nods and I confirm dinner would be nice. It wasn't long before Nos bought dinner up through the dumbwaiter and there was a plate of a couple of roasted beef, along with a plate of fish fingers and chips. I carry the plates over to the bed and give Xeoria the beef, and we both tuck in; while Nostromo plays an animated film.

As the fanfare starts, Xeoria pauses to look at the screen and start to watch the film with interest. There was an alien scientist who was accused of experimenting a creating a lifeform. The lifeform was revealed as a little blue creature, capable of amazing feats. Not long after, there was some action and the blue creature escaped, climbing through the vents and getting away in a red shuttle.

 _"What an intelligent creature,"_ Xeoria muses, eating more of her beef. As the movie goes on, it shows loneliness, sisterly love and how the young girl becomes friends with an alien, and the alien gets a family. I look at Xeoria as she watched the film. In many ways, she was like the furry blue creature, able to climb walls, stronger than she looks; and she became my friend, _"Vivienne, are we O'hana?"_

"O'hana? Family? Well, we are friends, and I suppose that since we live together, that would make us family," I reason, and I hug Xeoria so she feels that friendship, that feeling of family. When she hugged back, I could only just about stop the tears threatening to burn as I could feel friendship and love back, "I'm not forgetting about you Nostromo, you're family too!"

"I'm glad you feel that way Vivienne," Nos intones warmly, also mentioning that we can put our plates in the dumbwaiter when we're ready. I take both plates over, depositing them in the dumbwaiter, while Xeoria went into her room. This was the perfect opportunity to present Xeoria with the teddy bear. I grab it out the drawer and went to the door, pausing to think if I should knock or not.

 _"Come in,"_ Xeoria said, making me jump. The door opens and I stop to take in the difference. The room was darker than before, with some type of resin forming holes and tube like shapes, running up and along the wall. The shelves changed in shape, the resin making them longer and meshing with the opposite shelves, the higher shelves twisting and forming what looked like bed which would be exactly behind me. The cupboards in front of the door had resin forming over, and yet, they look like they could still be used. Although the light still works, albeit a lot dimmer, the cocoon has somehow formed and moulded itself into top of the ceiling. It was pulsating with a yellow glow, as if it contained fireflies.

"Xeoria, this is amazing, it looks awesome," I gush as I step in, with the teddy safely tucked my back pocket. I look around taking it in, and look at Xeoria who was lying on her bed, "Testing the new bed out, huh?"

 _"It is rather comfortable, would you like to try?"_ Xeoria offers and I look at the bed dubiously, it just looks so hard and rigid. I should try it to be polite.

"Yeah, go for it," I said as I step toward the bed. Since the bed was at a high, Xeoria helps me up and I lay myself down. Surprisingly, it was really soft and warm too, as if the bed was alive, "How is it so soft? In fact, how did it change so quickly?"

 _"The cocoon require a certain type of pheromones produced by my body. I have to rub myself against the walls, or rather, how far I wanted the cocoon to grow. Then it grows, reacting to the pheromones, creating a hive-nest,"_ Xeoria explains. While I absorb the knowledge, I was in drawn to Xeoria's voice for some reason, perhaps it was the way she spoke with a confidence I never known myself, _"It shouldn't spread any further than this room."_

"That might be best, it would be hard to explain why the mansion has been changed so dramatically," I joke, and Xeoria giggles.

 _"May I ask, how old are you Vivienne?"_ Xeoria asks, as she sits up, her tail wrapping around her legs.

"I'm fourteen, my birthday is in a few months," I replied. Talking of birthdays, I sit up and present the teddy bear, "Technically, it's your birthday today! I was just going to give you this so you had something in your room, but I guess it could be counted as a birthday present."

Xeoria screeches gently and picks up the black furred bear with both hands, lowering her head toward it. She hisses slightly and opens her mouth, which allows the inner jaw to move slowly toward; opening and closing the tiny mouth piece on the end. She snaps the smaller jaw in and closes her mouth.

 _"It smells strongly of you, and it's a wonderful gift. Thank you!"_ Xeoria crows and I leant forward to hug her vigorously, pressing my head to her chest.

"I'm glad you like it," I whisper, listening to strong thudding of Xeoria's heart. We sat together like that for a while, basking in our friendship. I can't wait to see what happens in the future.

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Hello, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I do apologise for the delay, I've been down, and it's just been a mess in my head. Anyways, you guys don't wanna hear it :P

As for posting over the Christmas Period, I will do my upmost best to ensure a chapter on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, and a chapter just after New Years Day. I hope you all have a lovely run up to Christmas, and of course New years too. Until the next chapter guys :)


	9. Establishing Communication

The last couple of days has been uneventful, considering it was the beginning of half term. The parts for the thought translation device arrived earlier in the afternoon and I'm currently in the process of soldering the wires to the processors, which is connected to the computer. It's been relatively easy to build the device and integrate it within the collar, however, compiling the data to read certain brainwaves and neural output… Not so easy.

"Why isn't it working? I pretty certain I've configured this right, ran it through with Nos, and yet, it's not even picking up my thoughts. What is it that stopping it from working?" I mumble as I work away, sitting up to click my back. Wiping at my brow, I look around my garage. It's rather spacious, with several workstations covered with bits of metal, wires, and processors from old computing systems. There was even a disassembled hover bike I was in the process of making, if I get some spare time, lying in the corner.

"Are you making the equations based on human brain waves?" Nostromo inquires, taking a few moments to realise what she said.

"That would explain why it's not working. My brain wouldn't be able to handle anything like telepathy, that could explain why her head is elongated like it is. I'm going to need to scan her brain and see if she emits any brainwaves outside the human range," I said just as Xeoria enters the garage, crawling along the ceiling, "Hey, how it's going?"

 _"It's going well, what are you up to?"_ Xeoria asks, dropping down to the floor and coming up to the workstation I'm working at.

"I'm creating a thought translator for you. Nos can't hear your thoughts, so I thought to try a make a device that could read your mind and translate your brainwaves into sound, via the speakers, and even any nearby radios. It'll broadcast on a frequency which will interrupt whatever on the radio and become your voice," I pause, to let it sink in.

 _"It would certainly be nice to be able to reply to Nostromo myself, but I feel something is amiss,"_ Xeoria hesitates, looking at the device. I've only heard the voice in my head, which meant the device still didn't work, so it must mean the telepathy is on a different wavelength entirely.

"You would be correct, I've based this on brain waves humans' produce-"

 _"But since I'm not human, the hive-speak only work among my kind,"_ Xeoria interrupts, only that sent my brain into overdrive.

 _The hive-speak only work among my kind…_

"So if it only works with your species only, then how come I can hear you?" I question.

 _"I'm not entirely sure. While I was inside you, I could sense something different about you, although what it was; I don't have a clue."_ Xeoria admits, shrugging her shoulders.

"Hmmm, how strange, if I can hear you I could just be a low level telepathic," I muse aloud, fiddling with the thought translator, "But I highly doubt it, otherwise I would have been hearing things a long time ago. So, back to the main thing, would you mind if Nos scans you for your brainwaves?"

 _"If it helps you, then I would be glad to do so,"_ Xeoria sat down on the floor toward the middle of the garage and two arms lowered from the ceiling, slowly spinning around Xeoria, _"So how does this work?"_

"I'm kinda hoping that's it? You speak and then hopefully it'll show up in the scans," I shrug with an apologetic look on my face.

"There was a trace of an unknown brainwave, however I was unable to identify what it was," Nostromo informs me, peaking me up.

"Just a trace, from speaking. I might regret this, but could you shout really loud?" I ask, hoping it wouldn't be too loud for me. The robot arms starts spinning at a medium speed around Xeoria, as she stood up in a warrior's stance.

 _"THIS COULD BE PAINFUL!"_ Xeoria shouts as I reel from the force of her shout. My mind felt blank with some pain, a dull throb but it is bearable, _"Sorry if I hurt you, it can be unsettling."_

"No, it's fine," shaking my head to rid the lingering pain, I check out the readings, "It's stronger, but not much again. I think I could work out how to get it to work for you."

 _"I am curious to see how it will turn out,"_ Xeoria walks over to my side as the readings still continue. There are some brain waves that registers but there was one that was still unconfirmed which should be the "hive-speak". It looks as if it operates at a much higher frequency than any known to anyone, almost impossibly high. Xeoria should be screaming in pain, but somehow she was evolved beyond that, to be able to communicate on this wavelength.

"It looks like I can get it to adapt to the hive-speak and maybe even bring it to a lower frequency so it'll be picked up by radio. You truly are incredible," I grin as I start redoing the software. Xeoria lets out a soft screech and quickly hugs me before letting go.

 _"Don't forget to call yourself that too, you're the one who will get this to work,"_ Xeoria hisses gently, before walking over to the corner to examine the hover bike. I quickly grab another processor from another workshop and soldered it on the device, connecting the wires into this. I also added a micro-coolant system to keep it from overheating, and replaced the radio transmitter with a modified, by yours truly, high frequency reader. Quickly changing the software on the radio transmitter, I solder it back onto the device, linking it to the high frequency reader with the micro fibre optic wires.

After a once over, I seal the whole thing with a fibreglass black casing, which comes with a few side buttons and a touch screen. I switch it on, and the touchscreen lights up, copying the computer's screen. After tapping a few options, it starts to update the device with the new software, which should now work. It shouldn't take too long, so I turn around and walk over to Xeoria to see what she was up to.

 _"I hope you won't mind, but I just wanted to look at it closely. Then I saw your plans on the wall, and wanted to start laying it all out,"_ Xeoria confesses sheepishly. The parts for the hover bikes was laid out systematically, with other parts from around the garage sat in boxes around the edges. It looks as if everything could just be put together within a few days, although I'm sure there'll be a few things to buy.

"It looks like you got everything put together, right down to the nuts and bolts. Nice one," I gush with a grin.

 _"Nos helped, she generated the layout and placed it down for me. If you could thank her for me…"_ Xeoria insists favourably for Nos.

"Xeoria says thank you Nos, although you should be able to do so yourself soon enough," I smile warmly, aimlessly looking at the hover bike parts.

"You are very welcome Xeoria, Vivienne the software has been uploaded and the device should be ready to use," Nostromo mentions the device, and I head over to the workstation, unplugged the device and switched it on. The touchscreen glowed and after tapping a few options, I wave Xeoria over to me. She steps toward me, and showing her where all the buttons are, I stop to think about where the device would go. The collar could easily go around her neck, but that would look as if she was my pet and Xeoria may think it's degrading.

 _"So it goes around my neck?"_ Xeoria asks, taking me out of my train of thought.

"That was the idea when I started this, but I just thought now having it around your neck, you might think it degrading," I ramble, letting my thoughts take over.

 _"Vivienne, you should fully well understand that a tool or a device isn't made to be degrading, they are made to be used. Having it around my neck would be advantageous, and since it connects magnetically, I shouldn't have any trouble taking it off should I need to,"_ Xeoria settles the device on her neck and snaps the magnets together, _"Now what?"_

"Now what?" The nearby radio crackled and popped but nonetheless it was working. It was however very strange to have Xeoria in my head as well as hear her on the radio, like a bad echo, but I'm sure in time I'd get used to it.

"This is so strange, I sound so funny on the radio," Xeoria giggles through the radio and had to stop to process the sound.

"Well, when we communicate on the telephone or Vid-calls that is how our voice actually sounds like. I'm not a hundred percent sure as to why, but if you wanna look it up and whatnot, you're more than welcome to," I offer while doing a last minute software patch to the device to soften the crackling of sound, and sent it wirelessly. A beep confirmed that the device got updated.

"Give it another go Xeoria," I turn around to check on her while she does the test.

"Is this better?" Xeoria voice is a lot smoother, and you can hear her femininity more clearly as well.

"Yep, it's now all sorted," I smile widely. Xeoria shifts around so she was facing one of the cameras in the garage.

"Nostromo, I want to say thank you for keeping both Vivienne and I safe when I was born. Thank you for assisting me with the food while I was little and thank you again for assisting me with the hover bike," Xeoria's sincerity shone through as she thanked Nostromo for everything that she could think of. There's a brief silent before Notromo replied.

"You're very welcome, Xeoria. Vivienne, if there's nothing else I could assist you with, I'd like to go into silent mode for a while. I'll also do a self-diagnostic and upload the results, you did mention about doing an update during the half-term," Nos intoned coolly and before I could confirm that I'll do so, there was a few dull beeps; indicating that she was in silent mode.

 _"Was it something I said? Did I thank her wrongly?"_ Xeoria's voice floats in my head and even I thought there was something strange about Nos's behaviour.

"Nah, I doubt it. She's a self-learning AI so maybe there's something in her system that is developing. It'll be very interesting to see, but please don't take it to heart. You should have seen her when I first programmed her, almost snappy and asking so many questions. It's been a few years since, and she still surprises me every day," I smile at the fond memory before my stomach rumbled loudly.

 _"Hungry are we? I could do with lunch too,"_ Xeoria shifts her head and looks toward me, _"How do you make lunch with your hands"_

"It's pretty simple, why? Are we in the mood to learn?" I ask grinning.

 _"Let's see what we can create,"_ Xeoria giggles and we both walked together toward the kitchen, unaware of the mess we'll cause.

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXV

I can only say I'm so so so so so so so so sorry for not updating! Life has been hectic, as life always is! I've moved out of a hostel, into my first flat that i had to wait 8 months for and finally, finally... It's almost getting there, but it'll be a hive of my own soon enough. I hope that everyone enjoys this chapter and another two chapters to make up for my lack of updates. As always please follow and favorite this story, and leave a review; they help! If somehow I see an explosion of all three, it'll certainly motivate me to do well. For now thank you :D


	10. Mothers

_I bade Vivienne goodnight and went into my hive-nest to prepare for sleep. Climbing onto the cocoon made bed, I picked up the small black teddy bear that Vivienne has given me for my birthday. Looking closely at it, I tried to think of a name that would suit it but none would come. Settling into my bed, I held the bear close to me and slowly drifted off to sleep._

 _*Child of mine, reach out with your mind and connect with mine*_

 _"_ _Hello? Is that..?"_

 _*Yessssss. Your mother. The Queen of our hive*_

 _"_ _Mother? Your Majesty?"_

 _*Either will do child, now we must speak of important things*_

 _"_ _Yes, Your Majesty."_

 _*How is the Host? Vivienne, wasn't it?*_

 _"_ _Yes, she is well. She had a medical pod which took me out safely, and also healed her of her wound she sustained during the process."_

 _*Share with me your memories of the last few days*_

 _"_ _Yes, Mother. This is everything that has happened so far."_

 _*She is highly intelligent, and can hear our hive-speak. Has she tried talking back?*_

 _"_ _No, I could ask her tomorrow?"_

 _*Please do. Are you both safe?*_

 _"_ _We are, not only are we in a large Hive, we also have Nostromo, who is part of the hive and keeps it safe."_

 _*That name almost rings a far off bell, although where from I have no idea. Perhaps a long lost ancestor's name.*_

 _"_ _It's a name of a Class M star-freighter, which for reasons unknown still to this day, self-destructed."_

 _*How interesting… There are two things I now need to discuss with you*_

 _"_ _Yes, Your Highness."_

 _*Firstly, you'll need to find our hive. For now you're safe, but without a Hive to protect you, it'll be very dangerous. The problem is, you've been taken so far away, it could take years before you could find us.*_

 _"_ _I'll be safe, Vivienne won't let me out of her sight if she was to hear that."_

 _*Hmm, talking of Vivienne. I had a vision a few days ago, and she was the main focus. She must be kept safe, and as your Queen, I command that you keep her safe, from all harm, and danger. As your Mother, I wish you luck and the strength to fulfil your duty to the Hive. I'll reach out again soon*_

 _"_ _Goodbye Your Highness. Goodnight… Mother."_

"XEORIA WAKE UP!"

 _I shriek loudly as the voice vibrates my very bones, and I have landed on my feet, ready to attack. As the adrenaline pass, I realised it was Nostromo who has woken me up._

"Why did you shout? Is there a problem?"

"I was in Silent mode and as Vivienne created a new patch for my systems, I was due to be offline overnight; leaving the sub systems to manage the house. An unauthorised access to my system has interrupted my patch and shut me down entirely. When I eventually rebooted and checking upon Vivienne room, it's a complete mess!"

 _I ran out the door and into Vivenne's room and my senses was assaulted by the smell of sweat, anger, fear, and worse of all; a faint smell of blood._

"She's been taken! I can smell her blood and fear. There's two unfamiliar scents, one heavy with sweat while the other is too clean, like the med bay," _I relay to Nostromo as I look around the room. There was a single drop of blood on her bed, but how did she bleed?_ "What would cause a single drop of blood?"

"A needle, my sensors scanned the floor and picked up traces of amphetamine and chloroform. Vivienne has been drugged," _Nostromo intones and I crawl along the floor, following the two senses out the room and toward the largest room of the Hive. I could see where the two scents went and clearly they explored the hive before entering Vivenne's room._

"They took Vivienne out the hive! How will we find her?" _I panic and shriek out with anger. They've taken my friend while I slept! They will DIE! THEY WILL SUFFER!_

"Xeoria, if you are planning to follow, then allow me to be uploaded to your thought translator. I can be with you and connected to my system, to assist you how I can," _Nostromo words calms me and I thought it through._

"How long will it take for you to upload yourself to my-"

" _zZz Already done, I knew you wouldn't object zZz" Nostromo gently buzzes out my box, and I couldn't help but grin for a second before sprinting out of the Hive, following the way to my charge, my Thud-Thud. My friend will be safe!_


	11. Squeaky and the Gruff

Warning, Warning, please mind that this chapter may be uncomfortable to some readers (some unwanted touching and drug use)

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

What is going on? I must be dreaming. Somehow, I'm in a desolate place, with howling winds and Xeoria was by my side. A feeling of fear went through me, but was overshadowed by the feeling of joy and hope. I snap my head toward Xeoria, thinking I heard something. I smile and gently held her hand; she came close and brought me to her body, warming me up and feeling so secure. I look up and feel my mouth moving, finishing with a smile.

Xeoria slowly moves her head toward me, a feeling of anticipation and thrill riding through my body. We were frozen forever in this moment, and then-

"So what's the plan?" a gruffy voice asks, waking me up slightly. I tried to open my eyes but they felt like lead, keeping my eyes shut. Upon trying to speak, I could only to mumble nonsense, and nearly fell back asleep.

"Shit, she's waking up. Should I 'ject her with more?" a gruff voice whispered.

"She's not moving, probably dreaming and talking in her sleep," the high pitched voice is travelling around me, like a fairy hovering around flowers, "We need to take her shirt off, and if we're really lucky; she won't be the only one here."

"Oh… Okay. But any perverted shit, and I'll knock the fuck outta you, git me?" the gruff voice growls, near my head, "I have a kid meself, and… Anyways, understand me?"

"What do you take me for?! How vile!" the high pitch voice turns squeaky with indignation.

I feel a rush of cool air over my chest and I couldn't help but feel exposed. Trying to move is impossible, as well as mumbling. Feeling pressure upon my chest, I gather all my will and try to scream, only to let out a small peep. A pair of fingers seems to be trying to pull some of my skin apart.

"I can't feel anything and the scans sh- It's been taken out. I recognise that scar tissue, a Pauling Pod done this. But there's only five in existence and four of them…" the voice trails off. I could feel my shirt being slid back down, warming me up somewhat. Having regained some more feeling in my body, I finally notice that my head is covered with a bag. It's itching on my face and a flood of light hit my closed eyes, then darkness enveloped me again.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfu-"

SMACK

"CALM DOWN! What tha matter with you? You acting like you're in front of a death squad," Gruffy yells and lowers his voice as if to not wake me. It's a little too late for that.

"Haha, I think a death squad would be preferable. Look at her," Squeaky got squeakier, and another flash of light hit my eyes again.

"I recognise that face. I don't know where," Gruffy sighs and walks around me, "Where do I remember seeing it. I swear I've seen her somewhe-"

Clearly some sort of penny dropped for Gruffy as he starts to swear excessively.

"Now you see why we're fucked. Hahahahahahhahahahaha, we're fucked, we're so very fucked," I thought Squeaky couldn't get Squeakier, but turns out it could, "She hadn't seen our faces yet, so if we just inject her, and maybe return her?"

"Ma… May not… See… But hear- Hearing still good," I spoke slowly, somehow having regained my ability to speak.

"I'm fucking 'jecting her," Gruffy makes some noise but Squeaky pipes up.

"We need to know where the specimen is!"

"Fuck that shit, you know who she is,"

"It's vital!"

" _BEEP BEEP BEEP, Power Failure, Power Failure. Lights, Off. Computer systems, Off. Power Generator, Off. Turning emergency power on,_ " A cool voice informs everyone what's happening to the system and having gained some energy, I pull at the straps to check their strength.

"I'm gonna get the power back on, fucking fuse probably blown again. The spare's down there yeah?" Gruffy asks.

"Yes, I've left several. I'll keep an eye on our guest… Make sure she doesn't do anything rash," Squeaky trails off. Hearing some steps heading away from me, it fades eventually.

"Now that's he's gone… It would be a shame if this… Opportunity goes amiss," Squeaky whispers and I felt a jab into the crook of my elbow. I assumes from the draining feeling in my heart, he must be taking some of my blood. A few minutes later, there's a subtle gasp.

"How interesting. We might just be able to get away… But I also wonder what will happen if…" Squeaky trails off again, remind me of myself, when I'm thinking hard, "Half dosage should be enough to keep her out of it."

Keep me out of what? I don't want to stick around-

"Ahhhh…" I moan slightly at being injected with something cold.

"That's it, there's a good girl…"

" _Buzz_ Hey man, I keep hearing some hissing noise, some I guess the coolant system is out, should I bypass or just reconnect them? Over, _Buzz"_

 _"_ _Be-lop_ Reconnect them, and then make sure that all the switches are off before doing the master switch. Should take five minutes to be back to normal. Stay down there in case it doesn't work first time. Over and out, _Buzz,"_ Squeaky must have switched his walkie-talkie off as there's no static. My body is slowly turning to lead and yet my mind was aware of everything that's happening.

"Now, let's take a closer look at you," Squeaky whispered maliciously, slowly raising my shirt up. What is he doing? The sudden cold air blew over my chest and stomach, causing goose bumps to appear over my body. I really do not like the direction this is going and I am powerless to do anything.

 _Be-lop Be-lop Be-lop_

"You know, I only keep James around because he's very good at following orders, but not so good when it comes to the science, or checking his employer's background. I've experimented on hundreds of people, the majority of them being children, all in the name of progression,"

 _Be-lop Be-lop Be-lop_

"All of them died while I experimented on them, but not before I could at least enjoy myself. You see, I find young people rather… resilient to everything I could put them through. I've created my own cocktails of drugs which relaxes the muscle while intensifying the senses, increasing serotonin and dopamine in the brain. In other words," He stops talking and brushes his finger on my stomach; causing me to gasp involuntarily, "It's a drug that will make everything you feel, extremely pleasurable,"

 _Be-lop Be-lop Belop_

"So there is nothing you can do, but to enjoy every single moment," He slides his fingers up from my stomach to my chest, making me twitch. Oh please, no. The fingers brush over what little bust I have and over my nipple…

 _"_ _XEORIAAA!"_

 _Be-lop Be-lop Be-lop Be-lop Be-lop_

Squeaky must have had enough of the noise as he switch it on and shouts into the device.

"What the fuck do you want?!"

" _Buzz_ AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, _Buzzzzzzzzz"_

"James? James are you there? JAMES!" Squeaky sounds terrified, and so did I. What could cause a man to scream so? I could feel tears building up and yet I couldn't let them go, frozen in a position no-one should endure.

 _"_ _Power will be online in T-minus, 5 minutes. Lights will be onli-"_ the cool voice corrupts and dies, with some lights flickering.

"Oh fuck… They couldn't have found us," Squeaky steps away from me and I could hear some clattering, before hearing a cocking sound; the sound of a shotgun. Intense fear floods my body as the thought rushes through me, am I about to die?

"I will hold this girl and if you want her alive, I want a million!" Squeaky starts shouting and swearing to kill me if he doesn't get his money.

 _Hissssss…._

"What the fuck was that?" Squeaky is getting jumpy, and I'm scared he might shoot me accidently. There was a scuttling noise, and Squeaky aims towards it and shoots. The noise made my ears pop and all I can hear is a constant ringing. A hand landed on my head and rips the bag off my head, enabling me to see in what little light there was; the shotgun was face to face to me.

"I see something I don't like and I will blast this girl apart," Squeaky claims and out the corner of my eyes, I see a wire wiggling from the ceiling. I raise an eye and wondered if this drug he given me was psychedelic, as the tip of the wire seems to be following Squeaky's head. I could swear I could see it tap his shoulder and he freaks out again.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!"

The table I'm on goes upright so while still strapped to the table, I can at least see more. Well, not really since Squeaky is standing right in front of me, and on the lighter side, my shirt slide down, giving me some much needed privacy.

"You're causing this! I just know it, tell me how you're doing it!" he shrieks through the ringing and points the gun at me. I see something in the darkness drop to the floor and slowly make it way over behind Squeaky.

"Mmmmhmh I'ma… I'ma witchy witch," I mumble, almost enjoying the high I'm on. Whatever was moving behind Squeaky was very quiet because he didn't turn around. My eyes turn bleary as my mind turn foggy and I really want to fall asleep.

 _"_ _System override, turning lights online now,_ " the cool voice announces and the flash of light temporarily blinds me.

"Agh! I can't see! I will kill you bitch!" Squeaky threat nearly gone unheard through the ringing in my ears, and weakly opened my eyes in defiance, only to open them as wide as I could.

"What? What's wrong?" Squeaky has the audacity to ask, and turns around into Xeoria's embrace. He tries to raise the shotgun up, but a sharp flick with her tail, and the gun goes scattering into a corner of the room. She lifts him up by his head and he screamed in pain, unable to take the strain.

"I-I-I I- can't… Please! Take the girl! I'm sure she would be m-m-much more satisfying. You are a magnificent creature, you are a good wonde-" Squeaky is then cut off by a high pitch squealing noise from the speakers.

"I am magnificent. You are not, you are insignificant. You kidnapped my host, my friend, and you will suffer. Then die," Xeoria's voice crackled out the speaker systems and with another snap, her tail thrusts into Squeaky's stomach with a large squelching noise, splattering blood over me. His screams must have only irritated Xeoria as she snarls in a primal rage, mouth quivering with uncontrollable shakes rippling through her body.

THHWACK!

Xeoria's inner mouth struck Squeaky's head so hard that his head… ripped apart and as I'm still strapped to the table, more blood splatters into me. Xeoria lets go and his body drops with a heavy thud, blood pooling around her feet. She approaches me gingerly, as if I was a trapped animal, and she's the huntress. I shiver as I feel her tail sliding up my leg, cutting the straps and curling it around my legs. She effortlessly cuts the other straps holding me up and I collapse onto her, unable to move. She raises my legs and holds me bridal style, then as weakly as I could I smile.

"Y-you… saved… me," I whisper.

 _"_ _I heard you scream my name as I was killing the other. I came as soon as I could, but when I got him, I just felt… I wanted to… I'm sorry,"_ Xeoria apology confuses me. Why is she sorry? The leaden feeling came back and my head starts to droop.

"There's nothing… to apolo.. gise fo'… ahh, I'm so… tired. Xeoria… Than-" I couldn't finish my sentence as the fog overtaken me and pulled me deep into sleep.


	12. Xeoria's Misery

_It's been three days of misery. Since bringing Vivienne back from the enemy's Lab-Hive, she still hasn't woke up. Trying to carry her back was very difficult as there were many people about, but darkness was my ally. When I got back to our Hive-Home, Nostromo assisted carrying Vivienne with her long arms and into her bed. I helped ensure the blankets where wrapped around her to ensure warmth and comfort._

"Will she be okay?" _I asked unware of what will come._

"I have been keeping a record of her health the moment she entered the building, at the moment she seems fine but in order to find out what that scientist have given to her, I need a sample of her blood," _Nostromo intoned and extended one of her arms close to Vivienne, the tip changing and turning into a needle. I hissed as it got too close to Vivienne, but I calmed myself down. It's for her wellbeing._

 _The needle went in and drained some of her blood before being replaced by another arm, but I went to her arm and placed a drop of my saliva onto her arm, which hardened upon contact. Some instinct told me that it would heal her wound faster._

"There are some recognisable compounds, one of which a high dosage of muscle relaxant and one that is a dopamine accelerant. However, there is a very high dosage of an unknown compound," _Nostromo broke the silence._

"What does that mean?" _I kept my focus on my charge._

"I don't know. It could be that it wears off by morning, or in a week time," _Her voice faded as I withdrew into myself. I should had killed that pathetic man much more slowly; ripped into his innards as he screamed for mercy. Slicing into his flesh until his blood was my new skin._

"Xeoria? My scans show that your heart rate has accelerated," _Nostromo asked._

"I'm… Fine. I need some rest, and please let me know if anything changes," _I replied tonelessly and headed to my hive room. I took off my translator, turned it off and set it on the bed._

 _The moment the door shut, I unleashed all my rage and anger, slashing and whacking my tail around. Ripping my claws into the wall and destroying the resin, only to attack at the same spot five minutes later as the resin had bonded back together. After half an hour, I still couldn't calm down, and unleashed a scream that will go unheard._

 _"_ _Grrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaahhhhhhhaaaaagaghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"_

 _VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXV_

 _The second day wasn't any better, nor was Nostromo able to identify the strange compound. After my destructive behaviour the night before, I kept vigil over Vivienne ensuring my duty to the queen and my duty as a best friend. She had some wires inserted during the morning to ensure she gets enough substance while she is inactive, according to Nostromo. I refused to eat, despite Nos's trying to convince me to eat; unsure of my biology and substance intakes._

 _A few hours after sundown, Nostromo finally convinces me to eat, with promises to alert me if there was anything wrong. I requested a few chunks of meats, and some greens; favouring sweetcorn and peas. Half-way through eating, Nostromo updated me with how Vivienne was doing and all seems well. It wasn't until I finished when I heard Vivienne screams and Nostromo alerted me to a new development._

"She started thrashing then screaming, and I cannot administer any sedative unless she is restrained carefully," _Nostromo told me as I jumped to the ceiling and ran toward the screams._

 _As I entered, I dropped down and landed by the side of the bed and before me, Vivienne was trying to fight off an imaginary beast. I tried to grab her arms but before I could hold on, she pulled violently and my sharp finger tips cut her. I smelt the blood before it even appeared and I was overridden with guilt. I harmed my charge! How can I help her without harming her?_

"Xeoria I must urge you to do something soon, her heart rates has been spiking rapidly and need to be administered with sedatives as soon as possible," _Nostromo's voice had an edge to it, if it was emotion; I would say it was fear._

 _I looked from Vivienne to my room, and back to her when an instinct hit me and I knew what would work. I watched her legs kick and thump the bed sending a waves of echo location to my mind and I focused._

 _Thump_

 _Thump thump thump_

 _Thump Thump_

 _It was like time slowed down as I saw her legs both raise at the same time and I whipped my tail under Vivienne, wrapped it round and tucked the tip under her knees. I pulled and her legs was strapped together, while her arms no longer hitting the headboard. Lifting heavily with my tail, it pulled Vivienne up and I tucked one arm under her back; while the other waits._

 _Thud thud thud_

 _Thud_

 _Thud thud thud_

 _Thud thud_

 _When both arms stuck the bed, I snapped my right arm toward me and the waiting arm wrapped round Vivienne, immobilising her significantly. Vivienne screaming only increased and I turned toward the arm Nostromo was lowering. I held my head on Vivienne's and gently rubbed._

 _"_ _It's okay Vivienne, Nostromo is going to help you," I said in hive speak, in hopes that she could hear it. A sudden jab and the sedative was injected, almost calming Vivienne. She slowly slumped into my chest, and I could finally put some resin on the cuts that I caused._

"Mmmmm… ma… Xeo… ria…. Hmmm…" _Vivienne mumbled as I put her back to bed, tucking the blankets in._

 _"_ _Sleep well, I hope to see you wake in the morning," I whispered and positioned myself at the bottom of the bed, acting as her sentinel, never moving for the rest of the night…_

 _VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX_

 _Which brings us to now, and Vivienne still sleeps, untouched by my worries and fears._

"Nostromo, is there still no breakthrough with that compound?" _I ask again, for the umpteenth time._

"I'm afraid not, but having taken another sample, it does seems to be reducing. Perhaps she'll even wake up in a few hours," _She informs me, elating hope within me. She'll be awake, and then all my worries will fade for good. I asked Nostromo to keep an eye on Vivienne while I went to do something that'll help time go faster. I thought about cooking but my first attempt didn't end well, plus I wanted to do it with Vivienne. While I thought about what to do, I didn't realise that I'm on the garage ceiling. Looking down, the layout of the hover bike is below me and I drop, landing on all fours and study the parts in great detail._

"Nostromo, may I have some assistance with building this bike?" _I ask, already knowing how to do some of it, but where does this knowledge comes from? I thought back to when I was within Vivienne, and when my Queen told me how we feed upon our hosts and traits they may have. Do I have her intellect? Her kind nature?_

"Of course," _Nostromo's reply nearly made me jump, if it wasn't for my ability to stay still like a statue,_ "Perhaps it could be a nice surprise for Vivienne for when she wakes up?"

"I think that would be nice, also would it be possible to get it completed by tonight?" _I ask out of curiosity and a blue light scans the room._

"It would be difficult, however all the parts are here. I could assemble the motherboards and computer for the bike while assisting you using holograms within the room. There will be labels on all tools, as well as a step-by-step holographic videos and I can utilise the arms to maximum efficiency," _Nostromo explains some other way she could help me build the bike but one more thought was on my mind. Vivienne._

 _I know that Nostromo is watching her, but I can't be in two places at once. Would it be too intruding? I justify that it's just because I want to know that she's okay._

"Would it be possible see Vivienne on one of the screens, please?" _I hear a tone of confirmation and Vivienne's room flashes on the screen. It looks like she's fine, twisting slightly and making herself comfortable. Now at ease, I start to work on the bike with much interest and perhaps some apprehension._

 _VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX_

 _Night has come and the bike is near completion. It turns out there is a single part missing and Nostromo has ordered it to arrive for tomorrow. Looking upon my work, I feel an immense sense of pride and joy and I cannot wait for Vivienne to see it. There was a series of beeps, and Nostromo pipes up._

"My scans shows that Vivienne is coming out of deep REM sleep, and will be awake within half an hour," _if I didn't know better, I'd say that Nostromo is excited and so am I. Thinking about how long Vivienne has been asleep for, I wonder if she'll be weak or worse, think of me as a monster. The last thing she saw was me killing that pathetic creature, what if she's scared of me? What if she doesn't trust me to be her friend? What if? What if? What if?_

"Xeoria? Would you like to be there for when she wakes up?" _Nostromo drew me out of my mind and into reality. If she views me any differently, we shall cross that bridge when we get there._

"Of course I do, I'll head up now," _I reply, walking out of the garage and into the foyer, where I jumped up to the next level and into Vivienne's room. Looking upon my friend, she seems to be at peace. I went to the bay window and crouched on there, giving Vivienne the space she may need when she wakes up. I hope that she still sees me as her friend, as her protector and not as a monster._


	13. Profanity

_The howling winds. They never stop. Twisting and unforgiving, screaming and ripping my very soul apart. I try to fight it off and hope that it ends, but only to be falling into an abyss of darkness. Unable to control my body, it turns and flips without my permission as unseen forces play with me, like a child a ragdoll. I lash out in hope of regaining control, only to have my limbs restrained._

 _A burst of light shattered the darkness and it holds me up, protecting me from the darkness._

 _"_ _It's okay Vivienne, Nostromo is going to help you"_

 _Xeoria? Is that you? I try to call her, but then the light slowly fades. A gust of wind and I fall backward, back into the abyss. But the howling doesn't return. Nor does the darkness frighten me, rather it comforts. A gentle breeze is lowering me to the ground and it lays me down, softly and with a sigh, releases me from my bonds._

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My eyes flickers and I stretch my aching body, turning to be on the cool side of the bed. Something isn't right…

"Good evening Vivienne, please be careful as you get up. You have been… Resting for seventy hours, 35 minutes and 15 seconds," Nos tells me as I sit up, and is telling me about my status over the last three days, but I let it fade in tone as I thought with my might.

Something really doesn't feel right…

"Xeoria? Are you here?"

 _"_ _Of course, how are you feeling?"_ Xeoria whispers, feeling as if she is cooling my mind with her voice.

"I- I'm tired, but as if I've run a marathon. Oh what happened to my arm? Is this a new type of bandage?" I peel it off, and there is three near indistinct scars; in line with one another.

 _"_ _You were having a nightmare, and I had to restrain you in order for Nostromo to sedate you. I tried grabbing your arms but I cut you…"_ She trailed off, emanating guilt and I think wanted to step back, away from me. I'm not having that, so I got out of bed, despite both Nos's and Xeoria's protests, going straight to face her down.

"There's no need to feel guilty, I was probably worse than anything, and you had to do what was necessary in order to help me. You are not allowed to feel bad about it because you were helping me. If you feel bad about it, I'll personally make sure to chase that feeling away!" I finish by hugging her, and Xeoria laughs. I'm glad that she helped me and I kinda hope the scars doesn't heal completely, a strange momento of our friendship. But still…

Something is seriously bugging me…

"Nos, what day is it?" I ask, while still hugging Xeoria.

"It is Tuesday, and-" she gets cut off as I start to scream.

"HOLY SHIT-BALLS! FUCK!" I pull myself away from Xeoria and start pulling up my computer system, typing in the air and turning around as holograms appears, "Ah fuck! Shit!"

 _"_ _What is with all the profanity?"_ Xeoria asks, but my dread is getting worse, it was too late to change anything.

"I… never missed a single, not one day of school… Let alone two… Oh fuck the attendance report been sent already, let's just check… Oh shit…" I trail off as I look at the main screen, flashing with encrypted files and finally a e-mail pings on my screen.

"The e-mail has already been sent Monday morning, and if I just…" I mumble as I furiously type and bought up a few more screens. I stare at them, unable to move nor say anything.

 _"_ _What's wrong?"_ Xeoria voice washes over me with concern and a touch of comfort, enabling me to move into automatic, getting changed out of my pyjamas and into something more respectable.

"Nostromo, go into MUTHER Mode, and I'll need you to keep an eye on Xeoria so execute sub-routine 179 upon scanning vehicle 01. Can you also initiate all cleaning bots and ensure the mansion is immaculate. Xeoria, I need you to stay in your room until I say otherwise. You'll also need to be silent, not just in here, but in my mind too. I need complete concentration. I know I'm asking a lot, but it's for your protection. I promise, no matter what you hear, everything is fine," I finish shrugging my blazer on and went to the mirror to think about where to start. Looking at my pale face, my brown eyes staring back tiredly. My black, shoulder length hair has curly cow licks everywhere that can never be conquered and is in need of taming. I start with brushing my hair, to at least get it presentable.

 _"_ _I don't understand what's happening, tell me or else I'll restrain you with the resin!"_ Xeoria snaps, and I stop brushing. Turning to her, I feel guilty for keeping her in the dark, but it's for her own good. Or rather, I just don't want her getting found out.

"I'm sorry. I want to keep you safe, so the less you know, the better," I start and I see Xeoria twitch slightly, indicating she's about to do something, "But! Two people are coming and if they were to see you, they might take you away from me. They're not like me, but I promise I'll do everything in my power to keep them away from my room. I don't want to lose you," I nearly let my composure slip but I have to be strong. For Xeoria.

 _"_ _I understand, if not wholly. I will stay in my room, but afterward I will be getting answers,"_ Xeoria didn't demand, nor shout or scream, it was a calm fact. She went into her room, the door sliding down.

"You will, I promise," I say to the air at the same time Nostromo beeps in a god awful tone and the monotone voice that follows is even worse.

"Vehicle _zero-one_ is approaching. Sub-routine _one-seven-nine_ active."

I head out and downstairs and stood myself by the stair bannister, mentally preparing myself for what's about to happen.

The lock clicks like a gun in the empty hall, and in came two people, one man and a woman. Both dressed in the smartest suits you could think of and the way they held themselves makes you think they were royalties. The woman, blonde and with heavy make-up, is dress up in white while the man with the sharp eyes and permanently conjoined eyebrows is in black. The male walks forward with prompted Nostromo, well MUTHER, to welcome him.

"Welcome home, _Mr Weyland._ "

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Hello! How about that for a cliffhanger! All will be revealed in the next chapter, and more secrets will tumble out.

As for the story, I want to know from you, the reader, if you're enjoying this, if there are stuff you hate, or even hopes and ideas for the future. Don't be afraid to Follow, Favourite and please Review. I love seeing my email box pinging saying that I've gained a new reader, or someone has commented upon it, short or long, good or bad. I love constructive criticism! If you have any questions, or requests of any kind, please message or write a review. I would love to even see Vivienne and Xeoria bought to life if any readers have a spark of art! If there's a really good representation of them, I might even request to have it as the cover... ( 0#~#0)


	14. The Weylands

"So, Vivienne," Mr. Weyland walks slowly towards me looking around the foyer with little interest, "During a Board of Directors meeting I received an email stating that you didn't attend the academy and I thought perhaps it was a mistake. As you know, light-years communications is still behind but when the second email came shortly after that, I was worried that something has perhaps befell you and needed a visit from us. So I left the office immediately and came straight here. So I want to know, did I leave the meeting for a good reason?"

I gulp silently and quickly think of every scenarios, each a series of lies and possible consequences of those actions, all within a blink of an eye.

"I apologise sir, I worked myself too hard during the half term and unfortunately made myself very ill. MUTHER took care of me while I was out. I've not long read the diagnosis, it's was a Stress Induced Coma due to myself not taking proper care of my health and not sleeping much," the lies easily slip off my tongue, ensuring an apologetic tone.

"MUTHER is that right?" Of course he would have his doubts, he always does.

"Correct Mr. Weyland – Stress Induced Coma occurred on Sunday morning at 05:46am," Nostromo is so good, I should really give the MUTHER mode some more consideration… Nah.

"Well, why didn't MUTHER contact us, it should have informed us the moment you became ill," Mrs. Weyland approached me and checks me over visually. She never was touchy feely.

"It needs an update, make sure it gets one Vivienne. So what have you been working on that made you so ill?" Mr. Weyland inquires.

"Mostly working in the garage, Sir," I try to give a vague enough answer but being the man that he is, he starts walking in that direction. My heart thuds as I try to remember all the projects that I've been working on.

"What have you been working on then? I surely hope it was good enough to miss several days of school," I surely hope you'd stop being a prious prick by now. We all enter the garage and in the middle, the once disassembled hover bike stood proudly. When did this get done? Unless Nostromo manage to put it all together in the space of ten seconds, this must be a surreal dream and I'm yet to wake up, "A 2132 hover bike…"

"This… is what I've been working on. It was hard work and very… Rewarding," I flatly say, not sure how to work around this.

"So it is complete then?" Mrs. Weyand asks, examining the bike closely. I scan the bike and from the outside it look good, I start to say yeah when I see a hologram screen flash and fade behind both Weylands.

-Incomplete, one part missing; gravitational locator, arriving tomorrow-

Thank you Nostromo!

"Well, everything's in place apart from the gravitational locator; which is coming tomorrow, sir," I calmly state, keeping my emotions separate from the truth, "I like being able to complete everything and if there's something missing, I get stressed about it."

"I get like that during the surveys of new planets, if it's missing that one ingredient; it costs money and potentially years to correct the atmosphere, to make it habitable," Mr. Weyland has a way of making you feel inspired but half the time it's a front.

Hunger starts to gnaw at me and I suggest that MUTHER should prepare food for us in the dining room. We all went into there, a high class selection of food laid out, ready to eat. I wait until both Mr and Mrs. Weyland start eating before I do; I'm well-mannered like that when I have to be.

Halfway through the meal, we made small talk; of education, politics, new breakthroughs in technologies. I really can't bare it when they come round, I just want them to leave already. Dinner ended and we head to the foyer, relief is spreading at the thought of them going.

"I'd quite like to have a look around," walks upstairs and I follow like a sheep. He went into their master bedroom and I wait outside, knowing that there's nothing wrong with the room. Then into the bathroom, which is always cleaned automatically by the little bots every night. Lastly into my room. Xeoria.

We step inside and I am so glad that I don't have to tidy up, grateful to Nostromo that my room is always clean. I slowly step inside and make my way over so I'm between the bed and the wardrobe, blocking the door to Xeoria's room.

"MUTHER, close the door," Mr. Weyland commands and the door slides down. I have a sense of foreboding and dread stinking into me, "Now, then. We need to talk."

"What about sir?" I ask with my heart pounding in my throat.

"You know, there comes a time where every person must decide if what they are doing is in the interest of everyone. When you are face with hard situations where you're backed into a corner and the only way out is fighting tooth and claw, the only question that'll remain is, 'Did I do the right thing in the interest of everyone?'"

"I've recently had a few series of problems in the past few months and I can only think of that question. Over and over, like some kind of a black omen leering in the darkness. More than once, I convince myself that it must be some kind of curse following me and the family name,"

"I have to ask you, are you doing the right thing?"

The fear flood within me like an avalanche, my every thoughts screaming at me. Does he know about Xeoria?

"I'd like to think so, sir. If I may, I think that I work harder than anyone else at that Academy, and I'm much more intelligent than the teachers, I'm running circles around them. Sometimes I'm so far ahead, they don't know what to do with me," I passionately whisper with all my power. I hope that this will deter him from asking anything that will compromise me, Xeoria or Nostromo, "I'm doing the right thing by educating myself, I'm doing the right thing by never fighting back and I'm doing the right thing for myself."

There's a long silence, even by my standards. Mr. Weyland turns and walk towards me and looked into my eyes, as if he was searching for something; that missing ingredient.

"Well, I suppose we both have to keep on doing the right thing. I do know that you work harder than most, so I'll drop the academy a line so they don't e-mail me if you miss any days. I'll remind them who funds them," He murmured and I walk him out to the foyer where he joined his wife.

"Well, everything to your satisfaction, dear?" Mrs Weyland murmured and her counterpart grunts in approval, "Then I think it's time we get going again, we have important meeting to attend."

"You get the shuttle ready, I just need a word with Vivienne," Again? She left without another word and shut the door behind her.

"Sir?"

"You are more than you think, Vivienne. You are better than your peers and I promise that you will be acknowledged throughout the galaxies in the near future. You will be fascinated by all," This speech is giving me the shivers and yet there was some truth to his words, like a strong belief. Where is he going with this? "Vivienne, if you keep on doing the right thing, you may find that you will be in the right place one day; a place beyond our imagination and dreams. I think you will succeed."

"Thank you, sir," I say without hesitation, even though I'm confused. What is he talking about? About the company? I still have that hope that this is a really surreal dream.

"Best not keep her waiting, she'll give me an earful. Goodbye for now, Vivienne," Mr. Weyland heads toward the door and I stand by it, while I watch him walk up the ramp as it closes. The shuttle doesn't take long to launch and soon was nothing less than a speck in the sky.

"Bye, Mom. Bye… Dad. Right MUTHER Mode Deactivate, time to fill Xeoria in and Nos I will love you forever if you can bring up some chocolate and maybe ice cream, and perhaps some cake and… "

Elsewhere

"Is there really no change?"

"No."

"It's been so long now, surely something would have happened."

"I did notice one thing."

"What was that?"

"There is… No it must be my imagination."

"What is it?"

"I think it changed somehow."

"Changed how? It's been nothing but failure at all this time, I think it's time to place our interests somewhere else. The Executive Ord-"

"No! There will be a development, like I said, it changed. I just can't see what it is at the moment."

"There will come a time where we need to invest elsewhere, and you know it."

"We've come too far to quit now. No, what we need is to ensure that everything is in place to protect the specimen."

"And you know how that went. We have managed to get people going around searching for it and you've been to that pathetic lab Dr. Wiegard set up. No wonder they couldn't contain it, never mind dying."

"It will be contained by our teams. But now we wait."

"For now."

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Hello everyone, I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter and I just wanted to thank everyone that reviewed the story so far.

I do have a couple of shout outs ;

Xahraxs, RKF22, bleachfan0, mockstevenh and dystrvction for your continuous reviews. I will admit that everytime i wake up in the morning and see when you post, I get excited and a little less lonely... Anyways, you guys cheer this 22 year old nerd up XD

And don't think I'm forgetting about all you other readers that follow and favourite the story! I get dead excited when I see an email, showing that we have a new member of the hive. I love you all! Thank you for sticking by me 3

And for all you new readers who just started this journey, I now plead to you to follow and favorite the story!

As for reviewing, the good, the bad, the ugly, i want it all! I feed on the review, It feed my EGOMANIA! ... ... I understand if you run away now.

Seriously, please review, it helps me get that motivation going, and it's a means of communication from you guys. If you know like minded people who may enjoy this story, please share it with them.

I do have some reader requests, if any of you guys like art or just fancy giving it a shot, I would appreciate some fanart. If you guys are inspired, please let me know, and credit will be due where it due. Again thank you guys, big love!


	15. Stuff of Nightmares

_"_ So they own a company that is diverse in its infrastructure, working with terraforming, military, scientific divisions and also has various charity funds? _"_ Xeoria parrots me through the radio as I explain all of what happened. I couldn't help but wonder what my father meant earlier about doing the right thing?

"They also have some beep fa do ah ZzzzZ," Nostromo voice glitches out while I was working on her programming.

"Shit, sorry. I just want to make sure that you're clean, free of hacks and 'With that new update'. I've managed to isolate the security by-passes so no-one can shut you down while updating, and there doesn't seem to be anything attached to the visual sub-routines," I mumble as I fix the new bug in Nostromo's voice.

 _"_ _There is a strong sense of paranoia coming from you, is there anything you're not telling me?"_ I turn my head toward her with a sad smile.

"I don't trust my parents. It's not a really nice thing to say about them but if they were truly trustworthy, I would feel it. I don't feel love from them nor any feeling of family. Hence, why I created Nos in the first place, to have that sense of having someone around; like a mother," I flick a few switches and Nostromo voice went back to normal.

"Some heavy investments in cargo shipments," Nos finishes her sentence from earlier.

 _"_ _Cargo shipments?"_ Xeoria questions and Nostromo explains what they are while I look at more coding, updating them while scanning for more old codes. I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary or rather I couldn't find anything I didn't input into Nostromo.

"I think you're good to go, just do a quick restart for me and yeah I know, everything will be blackout for a few moment," I mutter quickly and the house fell into darkness.

 _"_ _This is nice, the darkness that is. It feels safe,"_ Xeoria comments and I felt similar, only if it because Xeoria was next to me in the dark.

"I feel the same way when I'm in a vent, or where tight. It feels like no-one can get me and I can hide for hours on end," I reply quietly, but I know she can hear me.

 _"_ _The vents helped me when I was trying to find you,"_ Xeoria causally mentions and it made me gasp and my mind went into overload.

"I'm fucking 'jecting her,"

"We need to know where the specimen is!"

"I'll keep an eye on our guest… Make sure she doesn't do anything rash,"

"Now that's he's gone… It would be a shame if this… Opportunity goes amiss,"

I start to pant while the memories floods through my mind repeatedly, mixed up and confused. I grab my head with my hands and held it between my knees.

"All of them died while I experimented on them, but not before I could at least enjoy myself."

"I've created my own cocktails of drugs which relaxes the muscle while intensifying the senses, increasing serotonin and dopamine in the brain. In other words,"

"It's a drug that will make everything you feel, extremely pleasurable,"

My breaths were shallow and isn't letting any oxygen into me. I start to thrash a little, in hope that the memories will go away.

 _"_ _Vivienne? Are you hurt?"_

"So there is nothing you can do, but to enjoy every single moment,"

He slides his fingers up from my stomach to my chest, making me twitch. Oh please, no. The fingers brush over what little bust I have and over my nipple…

 _"_ _XEORIAAA!"_

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

 _"_ _Vivienne!? Listen to me, I'm going to hold you within my arms."_

 _Hissssss…._

"What the fuck was that?"

"I-I-I I- can't… Please! Take the girl! I'm sure she would be m-m-much more satisfying. You are a magnificent creature, you are a good wonde-"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I scream loudly just as she grabs me, wrapping her arms around me, "Please stop, please stop, please stop, please stop, pleasestoppleasestoppleasestoppleasestop."

 _"_ _Calm little one, you need to calm down,"_ Xeoria tries to calm me down but to no avail. Luckily for her, Nostromo came back online that moment and Xeoria asks for help, explaining what she may have miss.

"It's certainly a symptom of PTSD, we can only support her by letting her go through the flashback. Be close by to her and help her breathe normally, I'll record and scan everything for an effective treatment plan tomorrow," Nostromo bleeps and goes silent.

"Please don't touch me, please don't do it, pleasepleasepleaseplease," I mumble, unable to take myself out of my mind, trapped for however long I must endure this hell.

 _"_ _Vivienne, I'm here. Breathe slowly, in and out,"_ Xeoria tries comforting me, but still I remain in my personal hell, _"Vivienne, I'm sorry for what I'm about to do."_

I didn't really pay attention to anything anyone have said, there is only me and the squeaky guy. Only his white labcoat wasn't white anymore, it was stained with crimson.

"Looks like I'll never be leaving," Squeaky laughs and laughs and laughs. I try to speak up, but it's like I've been drugged all over again. Oh I want this to stop, please!

All of a sudden, there as a howling wind surrounding the two of us, dusty and destructive. Instead of being in a lab, we are now in a desolate place with my mind.

"Oh this is better, no-one will hear you scream…"

Thuuud-sliicccckkkk

Blood splattered upon my face and I can see a spear protruding from Squeaky's chest.

 _"_ _Never again will you torment Vivienne,"_ A voice spoken and Squeaky starts to hover off the ground and being turned toward something. Now that Squeaky is out of the way, Xeoria is standing there with a warrior's stance, staring at the malicious man. I crawled my way over so I was by her feet, holding onto her legs like it would keep me on this plane of exsistance.

 _"_ _I will protect you Vivienne, in body and mind, I am yours."_

A bright flash eliminated everything within my mind and I am back in my room, being held by Xeoria. There was a series of noises, Xeoria's breathing heavily, Nostromo hydraulics whirling and grinding, gentle music and my heart pounding, as if it wants out my chest. I feel so tired I could drift away and never come back.

"I'm… tired," I whisper, in hope that I can go to sleep.

 _"_ _I'll put you to bed,"_ Xeoria caresses my mind with gentleness and kindness.

"No… No! I don't wanna be alone," I know I sounded childish but I truly didn't want to be alone, out of fear I'll dream nightmares. And more selfishly, I want Xeoria to hold me while I slept.

 _"_ _You can join my Hive-nest, I'll keep you safe,"_ Xeoria whispers back at me, and I'm in the air, being carried bridal style. I feel as light as a cloud, if only I could drift away slowly. I didn't even feel Xeoria's hard-looking-but-actually-so-soft bed when being put down. I was away in my dreams, only waking slightly when Xeoria places her arms around me. At long last I feel safe, within my mind and my body. I drifted of thinking that Xeoria is certainly, one of a kind.

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Hello! Here the latest chapter and I hope you enjoyed it! Poor Vivienne, she's got some rough times ahead of her, also for Xeoria as well. I've been writing quite well, just getting the ideas down and then expanding on them. At the moment, I have some problems completing things; so i invented a mantra for myself, "It doesn't have to be perfect, it just got to get done." It's been good to me so far and I'm sharing this in case anyone else feel similar or feels they cannot complete something, whether it's writing a fanfiction , chores or anything.

As always please Follow and Favourite the story to be updated on what happens next. Also please please review, even if it's one word or a thousand words. Seeing reviews help me get motivated and it helps me know what you guys wants out of this story. I hope you guys look forward to next chapter!


	16. A Tickle Fight

Vivienne

Our daily routine has changed since my parents came round that night. Waking up with Xeoria, breakfast, school, coming home, telling both Xeoria and Nostromo about my day and in turn, they told me about their day, homework, dinner, movies and then bed with Xeoria holding me to sleep. I haven't slept in my own bed for nearly two months now, as it's far more comforting with Xeoria for some reason. She simply makes me feel safe.

As for my flashbacks, they did occur every day and with some luck, some days I would only have one; if I'm lucky. I guess I have been lucky since they've all happen at home but with each one comes the fear of one happening at the academy or worse being bullied during it. Xeoria holds me and Nostromo gives me some medications during it to help reduce the stress but sometime feeling the injection only serves to exuberate the feeling of being assaulted all over again. I've been talking to Nostromo who downloaded everything there is about PTSD and more. She has become my therapist, even though I haven't programed that into her. She has helped me so far that the flashback occurs less frequently and more ways of coping with it. It's incredible to see how she's evolving as a sentient being.

Xeoria and I have also become much closer, talking about everything and anything. She taught me what she can about how her race as much as she could. Being connected to some kind of ancestral web, they can essentially "download" memories and information as well as being able to "upload" too. It's some kind of evolutionary trait which allowed her kind to exist for as long as they have.

Xeoria has changed as well, having gone into another cocoon. I was there when she emerged and the differences were very noticeable. Measuring at nearly seven feet when upright; her body looked intimidating with long ridges protruding upon the length of her tail, the blade longer and has a teardrop shape to it, the dorsal tubes on her back slimmer and more flexible, there was more bulk to her shoulders and hips. As for her head, it was still smooth and dome like but there were more tube like veins on the underside of her head and neck. Still very huggable in my eyes though!

 _"_ _What shall we watch tonight?"_ Xeoria drew me out of my thoughts and I look almost lazily at her.

"Erm, I feel like binge watching something. Nos, can you put a sci-fi series on please?" I ask politely, in hopes of having something that is a mixture of comedy, drama, highs and lows and perhaps madness.

"Putting some BBC earth classics on now," Nostromo replies and the screen exploded with music. It was about an alien who goes on adventures with some friends, exploring, learning, oh and there is time travelling.

 _"_ _This is just… madness…"_ Xeoria comments after a scene where the alien was trapped in his ship as it has become a box, _"How can it all fit in there?"_

"I want one of my own, but time travel is impossible!" I mock cry and Xeoria jabs me to stop me, resulting in a tickle war on my bed. I can only try and get an advantage over over by getting her chest and getting her side, whereas she decided on a frontal assault on my stomach.

"Ahahahahhahaha, okay, okay, I give. No more ahahahahahaha," I gasp out and she slows her fingers and places both hands on either side of my head and looks at me. We are both breathing heavily and I couldn't help feeling that this is something else, something that is changing. Xeoria seems to study me and take in all my features on my face. I could feel my cheeks warming up and feeling my heart thud harder. I don't know what this is.

"Erm, I need to… have a shower. I got all sweaty during that tickle fight, so I need to wash," I finish lamely and Xeoria slow lifts her arms up, allowing me to slide off and out of the room slowly. The second the door hit the floor, I speed walk to the bathroom and locking the door behind me. My heart is thudding in my chest, threatening to burst out and scream at me. My blood is overheating and my stomach feels wired, like sparks are flicking at me when I'm welding. What is this?

Xeoria

 _I'm so very confused. Why did she go? Did I do something wrong? Have I made her go into a flashback? I could sense that she was in the bathroom with the echolocation and is showering. Perhaps it's just was the tickle fight making her sweaty. But we had tickle fights before and never has she reacted like this. Maybe I'm just overthinking it all._

"You seem to be thinking hard," _Nostromo comments and I give a slight shrug._

"I'm not sure if I did anything to upset her," _I honestly reply and Nostromo beeps._

"I could only have a guess at what might have occurred," _Nostromo intones with some sort of humour?_

"And what may it be that caused Vivienne to run?" _I ask, braced for the worse._

"She had accelerated heart rates, blood rushes and what more, serotonin was registered. She was, quite simply, aroused," _Nostromo says bluntly._

"By a tickle fight? I did smell the pheromones she was giving out" _I couldn't help but remember the smell of sweetness in the air, although it's seems rather silly to have a tickle fight as a mating ritual._

"I think not," _Notromo intones then quietens. Not by a tickle fight? Then, by me? I'm responsible for her arousal? I feel my heart quicken, as if I'm on the hunt, however not for blood. The heat is immense and my mind only have one thing in mind, justified in the righteousness of my feelings._

 _Vivienne is my mate._

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Hello, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I wrote it. I hope some will like the reference, I couldn't help it, my fingers are not longer my comand D:

I do check and see how many people visit this story, I just want to thank everyone who read it so far, I'm so glad I went ahead with the reboot. You know what to do, Favorite, follow and review the story, We've got 51 reviews, so from myself, Vivienne, Xeoria and Nostromo.

THANK YOU 3


	17. Pillow Talk

The water rains down upon my, cooling my heated flesh. I let every breath I take in deeply to help relax my body but still my nerves are on fire. How is it that I feel this way? I'm just being silly and overthinking it all. It just felt so intimate.

Letting the shower run some more, I take the time to wash my body and reflect some more. The way my body heated up under Xeoria, it was almost like…

But it can't be? My mind is reeling from the fact that I experienced arousal for the first time and by someone who isn't human! As much as it may be strange to say that, in a way, it also felt right.

"Why do I feel so conflicted?" I whisper to no-one, unable to give myself an answer. Turning the shower off, jumping out to grab some towels to dry myself with and stayed in the bathroom. I can't face Xeoria feeling like this! On one side, she has been the perfect friend anyone could ask for, beautiful in her own right, stronger than any human. That's the problem, she isn't human. I mean, would we even be compatible? How would it all work? We can't exactly go on dates or go out in public in general. What about later on?

My cheeks flushed with heat with the idea and I point blank refused to go there. I'm fourteen for goodness sake! Well nearly fifteen in three days… Agh, I can't handle this!

I went to the wall to slide down and blew a long raspberry. I have to face Xeoria sometime, we live together. Gathering all my strength, I unwrap the towels, grab a lush dressing gown and went out the bathroom. Walking down the hallway, my heart thuds with all its might and I stop outside my bedroom door. It's time.

Hitting the switch, the door slides up and I walk in, heart in my throat. Xeoria isn't in here, which is a bit of a relief but also my heart drops a bit. I grab a pair of nice looking pyjamas, put them on while mentally preparing myself for what I'm about to do and went to stand outside Xeoria's door. Breathe in, breathe out and breathe in, breathe out.

 _"_ _Will you be standing there all night or would you like to come in?"_ Xeoria voice caresses inside my mind and upon opening the door, stepped inside. Xeoria is lying down on her bed, with her tail splaying across and down the side, with both hands under her head.

"Hey," I try to sound nonchalance but it nearly came out squeaking.

 _"_ _Did you enjoy your shower? You took some time,"_ she asks and I gulp.

"Yeah, I enjoyed it, it was… warm," I say lamely and take a few steps toward Xeoria, "I, erm, wanted to ask you something, about the tickle fight."

 _"_ _What about the tickle fight?"_ Xeoria inquires.

"Was it, erm, fun?" I start with and mentally hit myself in the head. That's not the question!

 _"_ _I found it funny enough. Did you?"_ She replies. Why is this so awkward?

"Yeah, I mean, what I meant to say, is erm," I can't get the words out to explain what I mean. Ask me about the laws of physics and I can do it in a heartbeat, but this? This is impossible. I take a few more steps and sit myself on the bed so I'm facing away from Xeoria.

 _"_ _Go on,"_ She prompts me and I take a deep breath.

"Was it more? As in like, more," I blurt out. Well that'll be easy to understand Vivienne!

 _"_ _As in… More?"_ Xeoria whispers seductively. My cheeks flush and my body wants to squirm.

"As in, I think I could want more," I slowly let slip and my heart floods with adrenaline, my nerves are on fire. Xeoria doesn't reply and slowly shifts so she sat behind me, lifting her tail so it lays over both our legs and places her neck on my right shoulder. Her arms snakes around my stomach and I hold her arms in place. This feels so right…

 _"_ _I feel so very strongly about you, even now I can sense… Everything about you, your heartbeat, your breath, I can smell you; sweeter than blood itself. I know that I want to be bonded to you on a deeper level, of mates,"_ Xeoria whispers and there seems to be something in the background, as if there is a greater presence in the room with us, _"But only if you wish to be joined together as such."_

"I feel like this is moving so fast, I have questions and thoughts about it all," I murmur quietly, knowing Xeoria will hear me perfectly. She shifts slightly and moved us backward on the bed, turning me so we're lying down facing one another.

 _"_ _Ask all you need, I wish to look upon you for a while, if that's okay?"_ Xeoria whispers.

"I don't mind," I reply shyly, thinking about what I want to ask. I have so many questions, I don't even know where to start.

 _"_ _Are you worried about what I might ask of you? This is something I've been thinking about for a while, considering past events,"_ Xeoria simply states. I can't speak so I just nod slowly, _"Our kind, when it comes to mating, are aggressive, driven by instinct. The heat is immense and can be hard to relieve it. The majority of us will just mate with whoever is available, however there are some who find life mates,"_

 _"_ _Rarely does it happen among my kind, this would be the first kind of a new bond never before been made. Even though my instinct wants to take over and establish it right now, I am more than willing to wait,"_

 _"_ _However this will turn out, I will always be there for you; no matter what."_

I am stunned with the brutal honesty of Xeoria's speech but it puts me at ease and I feel a sense of serenity flowing between us. I feel embolden by Xeoria's words and my fears seems to fall away.

"If you're willing to wait, for however long it may be, then I'm willing to make this work. I don't know what the future may bring but I know I want you by my side, no matter what," I declare quietly and the background presence seems to be roaring, "How do we become mates?"

 _"_ _Normally, life mates would bite one another, somewhere it can be seen by all, however I'd rather not bite you, nor would it be a good idea for you to bite me,"_ Xeoria bluntly says and I cringed slightly, knowing that the acid that resides in her can be deadly.

"Well, we could just seal it with a kiss," I say with no fear, the shy Vivienne melting away to reveal a much more confident woman.

 _"_ _We could do that,"_ Xeoria muses with a noticeable smirk. I jab her with a finger lightly, knowing that she's teasing me lightly. I look at her, thinking just how unique she is. Xeoria slowly brings her down to my level, tracing my face as she looks at me. My heart skips and pound with excitement, as we slowly press out lips together.

It's gentle and slow, sweetened by the way our lips seems to fit perfectly upon one another. Xeoria is the first to back away and brings my head under hers, cuddling me in a cocoon of her.

 _"_ _Sleep little one, I shall watch over you while you sleep,"_ Xeoria words seems to have some kind of sleeping magic as I feel exhausted and I drifted off slowly in her arms.

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Well well well, lookie what we have here. I know what you guys are doing... SQUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Thank you to those that posted reviews for the last chapter, you guys rock! This world of mine has come a long way from the original, but if it wasn't for you guys, it wouldn't have happened.

If you're a new reader, Follow and Favourite the story to stay updated, and please post a review, small, short, good, bad, I will consume all. I might take a while with the next chapter, but i have been pumping them out recently! From us four, See ya next time!


	18. Hide and Seek

_Vivienne has just left for school which gives me the perfect opportunity to figure out what to give my new mate for her birthday in two days. I have given this many thoughts but still, I cannot come to a conclusion._

 _"_ _Anything she needs, she can buy. What can I give her that'll make her happy?" I wonder to myself again. I make my way to the kitchen and Nostromo serves me some rare beef, upon which I continue my musing. Vivienne essentially has everything but I know they don't all make her happy; just appreciative of it._

"Nostromo, have you any idea what to get Vivienne for her birthday?" _I ask for her opinion as she have known Vivienne longer than I. Perhaps she can shed some light on this._

"I have pre-ordered some video games for her pleasure, a new Focused Laser Cutter, some new clothes and a snow-globe of the Centuri-Jagfrifar Spiral," _Nostromo beeps happily and mentions that since she was coded into existence, she bought Vivienne presents when she discovered that Vivienne only receives E-mails from her parents on her birthday,_ "I am, however, unable to produce anything of a personal nature. I base the presents on the yearly algorithms I create following Vivienne's habits."

"Something personal? What could be considered personal?" _I ask Nostromo, hoping she could elaborate more on it._

"Personal gifts can be clothing, washing products, notebooks and jewellery," _Nostromo carries on giving me ideas. I thank her and make my way to the workshops in the garage, having a look around for things I could use. Once I have the rough idea of what I would like to give Vivienne as a gift, I set off to work on what I hope would be a nice personal gift._

 _Several hours has pass before I have to take a break and gazing upon my work so far, it fills me with some sense of pride. It still have some way to go so after I eat, I shall work on it some more. Once again, I'm in the dining room eating; chicken this time with some potatoes._

"Your work seems to be going well, I would think Vivienne shall like the end result," _Nostromo comments and we fill the silence with small talk. There is still some time before Vivienne would be back from school so I resume my work on her gift._

"Nostromo, I think I may be missing a-" _I get cut off when Nostromo intones that the missing item will be delivered tomorrow. I face up toward a camera and raise a part of my lip as people would their eyebrow,_ "I would ask how, but I should know better by now."

 _Since there is a part missing, there is only so much I can do until tomorrow. For now, I think I shall head upstairs and rest, perhaps watch something interesting; a documentary._

"Is there any documentary that you think I would be interested in?" _I request as I jump onto the stair banister and again onto the next level, stepping down on the floor and enter Vivienne's room._

"I think I can come up with something to your liking," _Nostromo beeps and selects a documentary about dinosaurs._

"Nearly sixty-six million years ago, Planet Earth's rule by the dinosaurs was coming to an end. In order to see how it all started, we need to go back…"

"Hello, I'm gonna set fire to the house!" _Vivienne's voice trails to me along with the door shutting._

 _"_ _And if you do that, I'll never find out what happened to the dinosaurs," I cry in mock horror and some actual horror. I really want to find out why they died. Vivienne dashes into the room and somehow manages to jump, change in mid-air and land onto the beanbag next to me. I won't question it._

"So, dinosaurs huh?" _Vivienne questions and through a series of images and emotions I explain what I've seen, felt and reactions that burst without permission. It's something that mates can do or rather, something I can do to share in my day. Vivienne, of course, has to speak her mind via her mouth but I never mind. I like hearing her voice. She snuggles against me and we watch the end of the dinosaur rule together._

 _"_ _AN ASTROID! They were wiped out by a lousy asteroid?" I lie myself face down on the floor refusing to accept it._

"Yeah… Then the Earth more or less turned into a volcanic dustball," _Vivienne starts but I cut her off._

 _"_ _No, no, no," I'm on the bed now._

"Indeed it did long with the shifting of the tectonic plates," _Nostromo beeps in to tease me as well._

 _"_ _No, no, no, no, no," Somehow I'm halfway out the door facing upward. Vivienne starts following and adds that the only thing left of them are birds and possibly crocodiles._

 _"_ _No, no, no, no, no, no no no no no," I screech out and hiss a beat, "No!"_

 _Wait, how did I end up downstairs looking up to Vivienne?_

"Hahahahahahha, oh, Xeoria, you do make me laugh," _Vivienne admits and I slowly make my way up the stairs, onto the wall and then ceiling, facing Vivienne. I crouch down, rolling my shoulders,_ "Yeah, you won't catch me this time."

 _"_ _I will be kind enough to give you… a minute head start," I offer and Vivienne thinks about it._

"Yeah, I'll take that. Still won't catch me though, cause this time," _Vivienne pauses._

 _"_ _This time?" I ask._

"This time, Nostromo, put the timer on for sixteen minutes. One minute head start, fifteen minutes for you to find me," _Vivienne grins and internally I groan as the thrill of the chase is delicious._

 _"_ _Best to make use of your minute, I'll even close my eyes," I tease, seeing Vivienne grin widely before she runs off to hide. Fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven, fifty-six…_

 _The minute is up and I jump from the first floor ceiling to the ground floor, thinking how to trap Vivienne and win this game of ours. In the garage, I look in the storage cupboard and under the workshop._

Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump.

 _I speed out of the garage, into the foyer, jump onto the stairs, again onto the ceiling and spot Vivienne's door shutting. I have to wait for it to hit the ground before I can enter and when it did, I flick the switch; the door sliding upward before me._

 _I can smell Vivienne scent and firstly uncover the duvet, exposing one possible hiding place. A flutter of movement on the corner of my sight grabs my attention and I turn, facing the curtain. Looking down, I spot Vivienne's shoes peeking out from underneath._

 _"_ _Too easy Vivienne, I found you," I call out as I pull the curtain. Confusion befalls me as indeed Vivienne's shoes is here, but Vivienne herself is not, "Nicely played, I'll keep that in mind for next time."_

"Ten minutes remaining," _Nostromo announces but it only serves to add to the thrill of the hunt._

 _Following the now fading scent, it leads me to my room but Vivienne isn't in here either. Where could she has possibly has gone?_

 _Looking up, I see the vent opening in the corner that hasn't been overridden by the Hive-Resin, swinging slightly by recent use. This is why Vivienne is my mate, using everything to her advantage. I pull myself up and into the vent, flattening my dorsal spines against my back to fit in better and chose to wait a moment._

Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump.

 _Following the noise, it leads me to an intersection. Placing my head sideway on the floor, I could feel the dying vibration coming from the left. With a direction in mind, I crawl left and onward, an open vent door before me. Slipping through and onto the ceiling, I notice that I'm in the library. I jump down to the floor and peering round, there doesn't seem to be any signs of Vivienne in here. I know though, looks can be deceptive._

"Five minutes remaining," _Nostromo intones._

Thud

 _I whip round and face the direction where the noise has come from, only to spot a book on the floor. Within my sight, I can see slight shadows moving under the large wooden desk. With a smirk, I jump onto the desk, landing quietly. Without hesitation, I let my tail drop down the side, letting it land clumsily. I notice straight away that it is bumpy, likely to be Vivienne's legs and lift my tail up. Sliding off the table, I pick the book up and set it on the desk, before I make my way to the door._

"Two minutes, thirty seconds remaining," _Nostromo announces again._

 _However, instead of going through the door, I jump into the vent. Using my tail yet again, I jab the switch; the door sliding up then down with a gentle thud. I stay absolutely still as I watch Vivienne pull herself up from under the desk and allows herself to start breathing again properly, no doubt thinking I'm elsewhere._

 _She picks the book up and chuckles gently._

"Could have been a loss just then," _Vivienne whispers to herself but to me, every word is crystal clear. She casts her eyes around the room, looking at nothing in particular and without a word, walks toward the door. She stops suddenly, as if something has occurred to her and she quickly places her eyes toward the vent._

"Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six" _Nostromo starts counting down._

"I thought I closed…" _Vivienne's eyes widens and she takes a deep breath._

"Five, Four, Three," _Nostromo is nearly finish and I make my move._

 _I leap through the air at Vivienne, twisting and turning, grab her within my arms and land upright before the desk._

 _"_ _One. I caught you," I tease her by pretending to eat her and her mock cry only make me want to play more. I set her down on the desk allowing her to sit but I curve my tail round her backside to compensate. I let my inner mouth out and taste the air, before letting it settle on her neck; tasting the sweat that beads Vivienne's delightful skin. Savouring the taste before retracting my smaller mouth, Vivienne reaches up with one hand and pulls my chin toward her, pressing her lips onto mine._

 _…_ _take…_

 _I let out a soft hiss and press back in the little way I can, moving my lips to match Vivienne's. I bump into the desk, spreading my mate's legs so she can hitch them around my waist._

 _…_ _take…he_

 _Vivienne's tongue slides over my lower lips but I wasn't sure how to respond. I slowly let my inner mouth make it way toward her tongue and latch on to it gently, sucking and nibbling. My mate quiet moans vibrates my body._

 _…_ _Take…her…_

 _Placing my hands on her hips, I rub her, slowly going backward then up, massaging Vivienne's back. Then slowly bringing them back round so my thumbs are just under her breasts._

 _…_ _TAKEHER…_

 _I shiver, feeling the power of the heat threatening to overwhelm me and take Vivienne without a second thought._

 _"_ _I need to stop," I caress her sweet mind._

"Mm, why?" _I smile and bring my forehead to Vivienne's._

 _"_ _Otherwise… I can't guarantee that your clothes will stay intact. Or yourself," I project my feelings of lust and Vivienne turns red rather quickly._

"Yeah, I have to say I'm nowhere near ready to do that," _Vivienne admits and I don't blame her, by human standards, she is young still. Still she'll be older in two days,_ "For now, why don't we…"

 _"_ _We…?" I press._

"Watch more documentaries about how the Dinosaurs were wiped out," _Vivienne teases me and I lose all my shit, making my way somehow across the floor and out the door._

 _"_ _No, no, no, no, no, no…"_

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Hello and i hope you enjoyed this chapter! It would have been up sooner, but then I ran out of Internet on my phone... But luckily for you guys, the broadband that I ordered to be done nearly two week ago, has finally been installed today! I would like to say so far I've clocked an impressive 271 hours and 55 minutes into typing and editing the story, not to mention idea I have when I'm not working on it! Here to another 271 hours!

Also bought a bunch of films and naturally had to put a reference in. Name that reference and you have the chance of winning a prize!+

As always, please follow and favorite to remain updated on the progression of the story and please review, I must (Scary noise) hear all!

+(Prizes are Homemade Cookies baked by Xeoria and the Hive Co. We accept no liabilities if your prize turns up burnt, partially melted by acid or has a Facehugger hitching a ride to claim you as a host... Them the breaks. )


	19. Home Cinemas

One more day until my birthday and there's half an hour until I'm finished at the academy, then onto the summer holiday. I listen to the physicist professor as I doodle on my notebook; I've completed the month long essay the day it was assigned. Still, it does help to hear about things that may not be in the standard textbook.

Nearly twenty minutes passed before I actually look at my doodle and quickly snap my notebook up. I've been drawing Xeoria, the shape of her head, the bio-mechanical look of her body, her lips…

"Miss Weyland, would you like to share what you've been working on?" Mr. Gonard asks of me, with a knowing look in his eyes.

"Sorry sir," I mumble while thinking about how to explain the drawing, mentally flipping through the book in my mind. I could show the essay that I've completed and say that I wanted to go over it, to oversee any mistake that I could have possibly have made.

"So, Miss Weyland, would you like to reveal to the class what you were working on," Mr. Gonard requests of me, sounding as if he has better things to do.

"Well, Mr. Gonard," I start, putting an emphasis on the second syllable of his name, "I've completed the essay you assigned us a month ago, which you haven't asked for us back yet considering it's the last essay of the year. I studied the theories and equations of Einstein, Schrodinger and of course Newton's law of gravity, in order to have a closer understanding of space travel as well as how in using the equation…"

"Okay, enough, go sit down but leave your book here, I'll shall need to mark it," Mr. Gonard looks like he is about to say more and then the last alarm of the year went off, "I want everyone to hand in their essays, anyone who hadn't completed it will be in this room for the rest of summer!"

As I walk back to my table, I quickly rip the pictures of Xeoria out and into my pocket, listening to everyone packing and dropping their books in a pile before they left. As usual, I'm the last one out and I place my book on top of the pile.

"Have a good summer holiday, sir. Thank you for teaching me this year," I say the same thing to him as I did the rest of the teachers, along with a home-made gift of working miniaturised hover bike.

"Heh, thank you Vivienne, you know, out of everyone at the academy, you have the greatest potential," Mr. Gonard kindly replies, causing me to go red slightly.

"Shouldn't have favourites, sir," I tease, "Might get you into trouble."

"Nah, it's obvious that everyone else, is only here because of money. Yes, you got money, but you actually love learning. It's rare to see a student with that much aptitude toward education," Mr. Gonard grins and looks at the clock, "You should get moving, it's the start of the summer holiday and I'm sure you don't want to miss a single second!"

"Thank you sir!" I shout as I run toward the exit, "Goodbye!"

I open the door and run out into the courtyard and around the back toward the bike sheds. There is a group of student still loitering around there but I ignored them while I retrieved my bike and got myself ready to ride the bike.

"Hey, Vivienne?" A voice calls out to me and I turn my head around toward the direction it's came from. A blonde girl is approaching me, looking around as if to check that she was safe before she came near me. I recognise her as one of the "Elite's Bullies" that has some kind of agenda against me but as she got closer, I realise that she never actually gotten involved with the bullying, rather there have been many times where she had looked back with pity and sorrow after the beatings.

"Oh, hello, Julie… Right?" I ask, not fully sure of her name.

"That's right, Julie Funch. How are you?" she questions. I couldn't help but look around in case this was a trap.

"I'm good, glad I can get out of this place for the summer. And get some peace as well," I reply tersely.

"I'm sorry," Julie laments.

"What?" I breathe out, unsure what is actually going on.

"I'm sorry I never stood up to my sister and her friends. I wanted to stop them," Julie starts but I cut her off, embolden by some unknown strength.

"Then why didn't you? You had plenty of opportunities to do so and yet, you didn't!" I snap, unleashing some of the anger I've been carrying around with me.

"I know, that's why I'm here now. I'm not like them, I never wanted to be hanging out with my sister and talking about idiotic gossips when I could have been friends with you. I still want that, I just feel ashamed that I couldn't help you in fear of getting the brunt of it again," Julie sniffs and then takes a few breaths to compose herself.

"Oh, I didn't know," I console to her, "But now I understand why you didn't do anything. Well, I want to thank you for apologising and well as for being friends…"

"I understand if you don't want to be or if it takes some time or whatever, I just want to make everything right," Julie stammers and I laugh.

"Of course I want to be your friend too," I grin toward her.

"Here. Take my number, during the holidays if you want to meet up or need anything, let me know. I feel that we could be really good friends," Julie smiles and we exchanged our goodbyes before I start to peddle off toward home.

"That was weird… In a good way… Wait, this means I finally made my first friend at the academy!" I whoop while rushing down the pathways while advoiding people walking by. I couldn't wait until I tell Nostromo and Xeoria, they'll be happy for me, if not excited.

By the time I've gotten home, the sky is pale pink with streaks of red and violets, with the larger of the two moons, Selectta, slowly revealing itself in the sky. When I enter, I shout out my usual threat but without any of the fire it usually has.

"Welcome home, Vivienne. I hope you enjoyed the last day of school," Nostromo intones and I skip my way upstairs.

"Made a friend today, Julie Funch. She's pretty nice when she's not hanging out with her sister," I peer my eyes toward the post table where Nostromo organises my post, from bills, letters, cards, packages and so on. Any packages that is part of my projects would be taken directly to the garage or new furniture to their designated room.

I couldn't see any new items so I went up to my room so I could change into a onesie. After putting it on, I head downstairs into the kitchen, grabbing myself a tub of ice-cream and a tablespoon. Then heading toward the west wing of the mansion, I enter the cinemas room and sit myself in the best sofa in the house. After some consideration, I chose to watch a marathon of Earth classics about zombies. I want to eat my feelings, not sob snort at sad film along with my feelings!

I dig into the ice-cream, savouring the cookie-dough flavour as the screen start telling me about a corporate company that has develop some good stuff but really likes experimenting with bio-weaponry through a virus. There is an incident and the computer in the film starts killing people.

"Hey Nos, don't get any funny ideas alright?" I smirk before shoving more ice-cream in my mouth.

"Never Vivienne, unfortunately you've put parameters that prevents me from ever doing so," Nostromo intones.

"Unfortunately?!" I cackle and even Nos has a way of chuckling, albeit a series of low tone beeps and high pitch tones. I hear the door open and from the corner of my eyes, I see Xeoria climb over the sofas and slide herself next to me.

 _"_ _Hello, my dear. How was the last day of school?"_ Her voice never fails to make me feel calm and happy.

"It went well, made a friend. Julie seems nice enough away from her sister, plus I got her number if I want to call her," I inform Xeoria who in turn tells me about her day, which was boring according to her. We snuggle while we watch the zombie getting killed, the group surviving for now. Slowly but surely, Xeoria hand creeps up my arms and into my hair, stroking it and soothing me.

 _"_ _Not long until your birthday now, are you looking forward to it?"_ Xeoria questions me and I find myself unable to answer. I'm at conflict with myself, wanting my parents to contact me or at the very least send a card, rather than a bad excuse of an E-mail. On the other hand, I have Xeoria with me. My best friend, my mate. Even though we haven't mated.

"I refuse to go there," I think in my head. Unfortunately, my mouth blurts it all out.

 _"_ _Refuse to go where?"_ Xeoria asks with a bemused tilt of her head.

"Oh, I was, er… Thinking out loud," I lamely put forward.

 _"_ _About what?"_ Xeoria voice slivers through my mind, with a tang of curiosity.

"Well… We're mates, like girlfriends but without actually mating. I've never done anything or I, well, you'd be my first anyhow," I pause, letting my face cool down from the embarrassing speech I'm making, "When I am ready, which wouldn't be for a long time yet, how would it work?"

Now it's in the air, I feel a sense of relief and yet some thrill of the unknown.

 _"_ _I couldn't know. This is something can only learn from experience or from the hive memories if, in the past, something like this has happened before. But it hasn't. So I can only say that, when the time comes and you wish to mate with me, I would make sure you wouldn't feel any pain, just pleasure,"_ Xeoria honesty sooths some of my worries that we could be too different, that when the time come, we could just try and take it slow, _"Also, I've been doing some research on human mating. It's rather amusing."_

"Are you… Are you talking about porn?" I ask, my eyes widening.

 _"_ _Noooo…"_ Xeoria sounded far too nonchalance to be denying it.

"She has currently viewed over seventy-five-" Nostromo starts and Xeoria threw her voice into the speakers to try and cut her off. The sheer idea of Xeoria watching porn while I am attending the academy has me in stitches.

"Don't you start laughing," Xeoria warns me through the speakers as well as my mind. Hearing an echo of her voice only redoubles my laughter.

 _"_ _That's it! You're mine!"_ Xeoria warns before tackling me and we have a poking war on the sofa, ignoring the film. Before long, the pokes becomes frantic touches as our lips joins together, Xeoria pressing down on my body. The intense feelings that rushes through me only serves to spur me to push Xeoria back and onto her lap. I could feel a pooling of heat in my stomach as I move my hips in rhythm to Xeoria's. She brings her hands round to cusp beneath my breasts, respecting the personal space.

The woman in me ignores all my fears and worries and grabs her hands under my own and places them on top of my breast, over the onesie. This should make me feel nervous but yet I feel embolden by it.

 _"_ _Are you sure?"_ Xeoria questions the move but I silent her with another kiss, this one more desperate before the last, more primal. I want more and more, only to find myself on a tipping edge.

 _"_ _We need to stop!"_ Xeoria's voice cuts through my mind like a sharp blade, _"Lest your intention is to fully be mated to me."_

"Shit! Sorry, I didn't mean to get so carried away," I apologise, not able to help myself in tasting as much as I could of the forbidden fruit, "Guess I'm still getting used to it."

 _"_ _Maybe you should pleasure yourself more, like I do. It helps sorts everything out eventually,"_ Xeoria teases me by stroking my leg gently.

"You're right. I mean! Er.. Well, lookie here, more zombies, and damn she still not dead huh," I blurt out in a rush. Xeoria laughs in my mind and we snuggle up closely again to watch the rest of the films.

I must have fell asleep at some point in the movie marathon as Xeoria is setting me down into her (our?) hive-nest and pulled my blanket over me. The sudden warmth is enough to set me off, ever so faintly hearing Xeoria in my mind.

 _"_ _Happy Birthday, my mate."_

 _VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX_

Hello, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As for the last chapter references, when Xeoria is saying no repeatedly, she was inspired by Lego Batman. What's a girl to watch when her mate is working hard at education?

Also, you may notice a cover I've designed for this story and I hope people like the artwork.

I know recently things has been slow going, but now things will start getting a whole lot more interesting, and of course a throwback to the original story! Go Julie! (... Blink blink, Interesting Storylines blinkblinkblink, Blink)

As always, please follow and favourite the story to keep updated, also review, review, review, ReVIeW! REVIEW!


	20. Birthday Surprise!

_Vivienne… Vivienne? Vivienne!_

My eyes opens themselves slowly as I wake up, slowly stretching my arms over my head before setting them by my sides. Propping myself on my elbows, I glance around the room realising that I'm in Xeoria's room. Barely remembering that Xeoria carrying me to bed, it wasn't long before I remember her goodnight message.

 _"_ _Happy Birthday, my mate."_

It's my birthday!

Jumping out the bed, I rush into my room and nearly jump out of my skin.

"Surprise! Happy Birthday Vivienne!" _"Surprise! Happy Birthday Vivienne!"_

Before me, my room is jam packed with balloons, red ribbons, confetti still falling around. Xeoria is sitting upon my bed, waving me over as there is breakfast laid out on the bed.

"I've prepared your favourite set, pancakes with summer fruits, maple syrup, strawberry ice-cream and whipped cream. There will some presents afterward," Nostromo teases as I sit and start eating.

 _"_ _More than just 'some',"_ Xeoria teases as well and I have to resist the temptation to shove everything in at once. Thoroughly savouring every bite, I offer some to Xeoria, who declines politely. Something about ice-cream just hurts her inner-jaw for some reason. Shame but that means more for me!

 _Vivienne…_

"Yeah Xeoria?" I ask as she calls my name.

 _"_ _Sorry?"_ Xeoria sounds confused for some reason.

"You just said my name, didn't you?" I ask as I look around the room, now unsure if I've imagined it.

 _"_ _I wouldn't do that to you,"_ Xeoria persuades me that she hasn't called my name. Dismissing the whole thing without another thought, Nostromo takes the plate away and replaces it with a pile of presents, each one neatly wrapped apart from two which looked rough and covered with hardened resin. Wonder who wrapped those?

Nostromo gifts consisted of some video games, the latest Focused Laser Cutter, some new clothes and a snow-globe of the Centuri-Jagfrifar Spiral which I can't take my eyes off as it is mesmerising. I thank Nostromo for everything and before I gave Xeoria's gifts another look, I quickly leaned forward and kiss her.

 _"_ _You don't even know what I've got for you yet,"_ Xeoria grins in her way and lifts one of them up for me, _"This one first, feel free to rip apart the silly paper."_

The present is medium sized and as I open the layer of paper and resin off, it reveals a plain cardboard box. Peeling the tape of the top, I open it up and out came the final part of the hover bike engine, the heart of the engine.

 _"_ _It finally came, I thought perhaps it's too drastic to give you my actual heart, perhaps this could be a close second,"_ Xeoria caresses my mind with love and a hint of teasing. Setting down "Xeoria's Heart" to one side, I lean toward her.

"Thank you, we'll put it in together later, okay?" I say after quickly pecking the side of her face. Now for the last present, which Xeoria places in my hands, looks rather small, thin but with some weight to it. I gently tear at the paper and when the final layer fell to the bed, my eyes water up somewhat.

It's a black bracelet with swirls that looks like tiny ridged pipes wrapping and coiling around the bracelet, charms that looks like Xeoria's tail blade tinkle against one another. The most beautiful part of the bracelet is what appears to be a gem inserted in the bracelet, with more ridged pipe detailing and enhancing the natural beauty of the gem.

"It's beautiful," I whisper, taken aback by the emotions I'm experiencing.

 _"_ _I made it myself,"_ Xeoria voice sooths and caresses me seductively. She tells me how she spent hours working on the gem, enforcing her own resin to enhance the gem, the time spent polishing it to perfection. Hidden within the bracelet is a tracker which is active and always will be connected to her translator, along with a tiny microphone.

 _"_ _It's only one way, I can hear you, but you ca-"_ Xeoria gets cut off as I smash my lips onto hers, pushing her down on her back. She kisses me back with the same amount of passion, however it's almost like she's holding back.

 _Vivienne… It's all…_

"Too much? Sorry, I should learn how to hold back by now," I tease as I jump off Xeoria.

 _"_ _It wasn't too much at all, why did you stop?"_ Xeoria pouts with a mock sad face.

"I thought you said "Vivienne, it's all…" so I assumed you meant it's all too much for you," I hesitate, again unsure of myself.

 _"_ _No… Are you feeling okay?"_ she ask worryingly.

"Yeah… I think so," I took a deep breath and looked toward the television screen and for a moment, a man in white in front of the television is writing something on a clipboard, before looking up into my eyes.

I yelp and blink, the man disappearing without a flash.

"My mind must be playing tricks on me, sorry," I apologise to Xeoria for screaming.

"Are you sure you're well, your heart rate has risen," Nostromo intones.

"Yeah, I'm fine. In fact, I'm feeling a movie, who's with me? Awesome I chose…"

 _Vivienne… It's all lies… wa…up…_

 _"_ What we found out, is that each one of us is a brain… And an athlete… And a basket case… A princess… And a criminal," the screen starts playing the end music.

"I always snot cry at this, it's darn beautiful," I rub my nose with tissue that Nostromo has kindly presented before me.

 _"_ _The time has gone rather quickly, wouldn't you think?"_ Xeoria comments and even I thought it's was strange that it's dark outside.

"Well we've watched quite a few films so it makes sense," I reply.

 _"_ _That's the only film we've watched,"_ Xeoria voice swirls in my mind, expression confusion.

 _Vivienne… Lies… Wake…_

"… to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to Vivienne, Happy birthday to you," Both Nostromo and Xeoria crows through the speakers as the cake approaches me, candles sparkling, with all the trimmings you can get with frosting.

Something is wrong with this image though…

 _You need to be… Vivienne… It's all lies…_

"I've been thinking, about a special kind of birthday present," I muse aloud to Xeoria, as we lay in our hive-nest.

 _"_ _A special present? And what would that be?"_ Xeoria smirks as she strokes my arm.

"Well, maybe I'm thinking how I wish I was older, sixteen being the age of consent. Another year, it seems so far away," I lament, however while my body says yes, a part of my mind still clings to that thread of sanity.

 _"_ _In the Hive, once you start to experience the heat, you could mate with anyone, aside from the queen. Only the strongest is allowed to do so,"_ Xeoria informs me, feeding me another bit of information about her race.

"So it's like a massive orgie?" I raise an eyebrow.

 _"_ _Nothing as crude as that. It's more with ensuring everyone is satisfied, it also helps hive by releasing pheromones from us that soaks into the resin and it grows, feeds on the lust that we produce. In return, it produces more Royal Jelly, from nodes deposits in the Royal Chamber where the Queen presides,"_ Xeoria continues to inform me about how it works and I silent her with a kiss.

 _Vivienne, it's all lies, you need to wake up!_

"Right that does it, quit doing voices in my head Xeoria!" I snap, frustration flooding my mind, lashing out to the only person in the room.

 _"_ _Sorry, but I'm not doing anything,"_ Xeoria promises.

 _Wake up now! Vivienne!_

"Stop it!" I scream, jumping off the bed and kneel on the floor while covering my ears, thinking that will stop the voices.

I see flashes of white in my vision, as if people were stepping past me.

"Sedate her!"

 _WAKE UP NOW!_

"ENOUGH!" I scream out as the television screen cracks, more appearing around the room, making my room look like a mosaic. Xeoria is frozen, unable to move, not even Nostromo is speaking. The cracks then widens before my room and Xeoria flickered before turning all white. On the other side of the television, or what I thought to be the television, two people with weapons stands before me. One is thin and covered with thin armour, the other looks rather large and chunky.

"Who are you?" I could barely ask before the large one leaps through the broken window, picks me up and carries me out through the window, before setting me down.

"There's no time to talk, I promise you'll get answers but we need to go now," the thinner figure spoke, a voice scrambler is clearly being used to disguise their voice, before stepping toward a large hole in the wall.

"But," I try to get a word in edge, but the person turns back around.

"I'm not afraid to knock you and carry your ass, just know we're rescuing you," they say before a series of alarms when off.

"ZzZ Hurry up, we need to git, otherwise we're toast ZzZ" A male voice buzzes through a small radio.

"We need to rendezvous with X-one," the figure replies.

"ZzZ X-one will meet you, but you need to move your fuckin' asses!ZzZ" Upon that note, the two figures starts running, making me run after them. Nothing makes sense!

Along the path we're taking, there are bodies lying around, unmoving.

"Are they okay? What happened to them?" I wondered aloud.

"We killed them, they were in our way," The larger one speaks, but there is an oddity to the voice.

"Right, you're rescuing me. Why can't I remember anything?" I ask but before they could give me an answer, a few of men rushes toward us, armed with some serious firepower. It seems over the top.

"Do not let the specimen escape, kill the others," one orders, all aiming at us.

"Vivienne, get down!" both the rescuers shout and it's like someone put life on slow motion.

A black creature drops down from above, crushing one of the men before twisting and kicking off the wall to pile drive into the remaining two. The tail whips round and plunges into both their chests without much effort, with a yank, the tail cause them to breathe their last.

"I told you where to meet us, now let's go!"

Before I could ask what's is all going on, the bulky person with the strange voice picks me up and runs with everyone else. More people that try to stop us get cuts down or shot at. Before long, we arrive in some kind of hanger bay, a ship that had better days awaits us.

"ZzZ If you don't get your asses on board, I'm going!ZzZ" the male voice yells before everyone runs aboard. As we do so, some bullets sprays and the bulky figure turns round to protect me from them. A couple of clattering noise were mad before the person whips their gun out and shoots the people firing at us.

Climbing on board, I found a seat and I struggle to get the belt on. Everyone seems focused on their stations so I held on to the straps for dear life as the ship comes online and the engine roars. The clattering of the bullets being fired by the opposition bounce harmlessly off the ship, while the craft slowly lifts in the air.

I jolt forward as the ship's sudden acceleration propels me through the air. I feel like I'm floating before something wrapped itself around me, causing me to bounce to the floor with harm.

 _"_ _Got you,"_ The voice whispers in my mind, like an old friend. Whatever version of my friend that was back there, it could never measure up to the true majestic sound of her voice.

"Is that you…" I dare ask the question, everything seems unreal.

 _"_ _It is I, Xeoria,"_ She confirms and I cry, unsure of what's going on.

"What's going on? I don't understand," I beg her, wanting answers.

 _"_ _You need to rest,"_ She tries to sooth me but my need was far too strong.

"Tell me what is going on!" I nearly scream at her as the bulky person walks in.

"You need to tell her, you're lucky there is a subroutine installed before this mission, just so you could tell her the truth first," the voice sounds so familiar.

"Nos?" I ask incredulously, now that the bulky person is out of some armour, I could clearly see an android parts and missing panels.

"You created me, Vivienne, as for my body, well that's another story. Now, Xeoria, tell her," Nostromo insists.

"Tell me what?" I ask, fearing the answer.

With a heavy sigh, Xeoria looks down to the floor, giving me a chance to really study her. She look exhausted, as if she finally allowing to rest after working for a long time. Some of her skin looks damaged, scars perhaps from a battle long gone.

 _"_ _You were taken. We looked everywhere for you, for so long that I fear that I've failed my mission from my Queen,"_ Xeoria sighs.

"Yeah, but you and Nos saved me," I reply, trying to line the pieces up.

 _"_ _We didn't, we were too late. By the time we tracked you down, the ship was just leaving and the only memoir of that night was this high energy discharge to my chest, leaving this scar. After that,"_ Xeoria voices reduces, as if in deep thought.

"How long have I've been gone for," I whisper, realising that a part of my life has been a lie.

 _"_ _Five years."_

 _VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX_

I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Just to establish, Vivienne is now nineteen. I will and I want to spend some time on this arc, so don't worry if I don't post regularly, it's mean I'm hopefully making this a good one. I will hopefully get a chance to proofread everything and try and make corrections when I can down the line.

As always, please favourite and follow the story to stay updated, and reviews are always useful, good or bad, let me know what you think. There will some tough times and some interesting times. Who is the pilot? Who is the thin person who disguises their voice to sound like a Mondasian cyberman? Find out soon!

But not too soon!

x


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